


Something about Kokichi

by Anonymous



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: (ITS NOT EXPLICIT JUST A PLOT POINT), Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Hope's Peak Academy (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Angst, Compulsive lying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Not Beta Read, On anonymous because im a shy coward!, Ouma not Oma, Prostitution, Slow Burn, This story will deal with adult themes but it is NOT EXPLICIT, Trans Saihara Shuichi, and like it will get gritty and it will hit but its not just torture porn, and mental illness, basically this is just a realistic exploration of these characters, everyone is 18/19, i dont do that, its going to get heavy but its not ALL heavy okay its not an angst-fest, its not all angst tho! its real funny sometimes i swear my friends laughed, the inherent homoeroticism of realizing you have a lot in common with the guy you thought you hated, where everyone is sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-04-21 17:21:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22099324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Kaito hated Kokichi's guts. The feeling was mutual. When their senior year at Hope's Peak started, it didn't seem like anything about that was going to change. Then Kaito saw a few things he wasn't supposed to see.---Kokichi was still on the other side of the Cafeteria. For a moment, Kaito was filled with the strong urge to leave. He hated that little shit. He didn’t want to be in the same room as him longer than he had to. Before he could leave, though, his head started to fill with questions. Why was Kokichi still here? What was he up to? Why didn’t he leave with everyone else?
Relationships: (background), Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi, Momota Kaito/Oma Kokichi
Comments: 113
Kudos: 374
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Thinking about him just a bit too much.

The weather was clear. The ground was wet with puddles from the prior day’s rain. The air smelled strongly of petrichor. Kaito left his dorm, his coat hanging on his shoulders and an apple in his hand. The sounds of chirping birds filled his ears and brought a smile to his face. He was tired, still not back in the swing of waking up early, but he walked to Shuichi’s dorm anyway, knocking on the door as hard as he could.

“Hey Shuichi!” He called through the door, taking a bite of his apple before continuing to speak. “You better be awake, It’s the first day of our third year so if you’re late I’ll have to kick your ass.”

A few minutes passed before the door swung open, revealing Shuichi. The detective looked up at Kaito, yawning and stretching his arms. His blue hair was messy, and he was wearing his school uniform. Unlike Kaito, he buttoned his shirt up all the way and wore the tie. “I’m up, I’m up,” He said sleepily, waving a hand in a dismissive gesture as he walked out of his dorm and shut the door, “I’m not about to be late, seriously. I’m not like you. I try to keep a normal sleep schedule in the summer.”

Kaito looked at him and raised a brow. “Yeah? If that’s the truth then why do you look even more tired than I do?” He asked, chuckling. 

Shuichi’s face heated up and he looked away. “S-Shut up, I just... “ He bit his lip, tugging at his backpack straps, “Kaede was texting me all night, okay? I wanted to go to bed earlier, but I couldn’t stop talking to her. You know how I am.”

“Of course that’s what kept you up,” Kaito laughed. He slung an arm around Shuichi’s shoulders and started walking towards the school. Shuichi stumbled alongside him. “You’re, like, head over heels for her, man. You should really tell her how you feel. I know you two flirt all the time, but we’ll be graduating before you know it and then your chance might be gone.”

Frowning, Shuichi nodded. “I know I should, but I’m a little nervous. She’s perfect, Kaito. She could do better than me.”

“Well, yeah, maybe she could,” Kaito said. Shuichi jabbed him in the arm. “Hey! Look, I didn’t mean it in a bad way! God, at least let me finish before you do that. Damn…” He shook his head and sighed, still smiling. “What I was  _ trying  _ to say was that she could probably do better, but she’s flirting back with you, isn’t she? I don’t think she  _ wants  _ to do better. I’m basically one hundred percent sure she likes you back and, even if she doesn’t, you two are good enough friends that admitting you like her won’t ruin anything. So grow a pair already! Ask her out!”

“You know full well that I can’t grow a pair! I-It’s impossible!” Shuichi huffed, crossing his arms.

Kaito laughed again and took another bite out of his apple. He started to talk with his mouth still full. “Not a physical pair, dumbass. Balls are an emotional thing. Grow some emotional balls, Shuichi. Balls for your mind... Brain balls!”

Before Shuichi could respond, Maki walked over, cutting their conversation short. She gave a stiff wave. “What are you idiots talking about?” She asked in lieu of a hello.

Shuichi opened his mouth to answer, but Kaito ended up speaking before him. “We’re talking about how Shuichi needs a pair of brain balls so he can ask Kaede out!” He gestured to Shuichi with his apple.

“No we’re not! Kaito’s the only one talking about that!” Shuichi insisted, looking at Maki, “I was only talking about being nervous, I said nothing about brain balls.”

She rolled her eyes and continued walking forward slightly ahead of them. “You’d think that the two of you would be smarter now that you’re seniors, but the opposite is true.” 

Kaito groaned and the three of them fell into silence as they finished their walk to school. Things felt peaceful and familiar. Summer might’ve been leaving, but the air was still warm and friendly. Kaito couldn’t shake the feeling that this would be his best year of high school yet. He felt like there were new and exciting things in store for him now that he was a senior, and he felt ready to take them on too.

When they made it to the classroom, he held the door open for his friends with a grin. Most of the class was already in their seats. Kaito waved. “Hey guys!” He greeted, tossing his apple core into the trashcan and walking over to his desk. 

“Uh, hey everyone,” Shuichi said, waving too. He sat down at the desk next to Kaito and started getting his notebooks out. Maki didn’t greet anyone, but she did give a curt nod. She sat down in the back corner of the room, far away from the other two.

Kaito sat on his desk. “I feel like I haven’t seen you guys in ages,” He said, “Sorry for not hanging out with more of you over the break, I was real caught up in my hot girl summer. Didn’t have time to text the group chat much, y’know?”

Miu glared at him from where she sat, and she slammed her hands down on her desk. “Like hell you were!” She barked, “I would’ve been there if you had a hot girl summer! I’m a part of every man’s hot girl summer! Since you didn’t talk to me, you didn’t have a hot girl summer. You’re lying.”

“Plus, a degenerate male like you is more likely to have a hot girl bummer,” Tenko chimed in, glaring at Kaito too. Miu gave her a high five. “What were you really up to?”

Sighing, Kaito raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, you caught me,” He said, “I went to an astronaut training camp thing, but I forgot to take my phone so I couldn’t text anyone. The only reason I was able to call my sidekicks was ’cause the rooms had phones, but not ones you could text on. I don’t have everyone’s numbers memorized, so I couldn’t call you guys, and I had no other way to talk to the rest of you. Sorry ‘bout that.”

“No worry, Kaito. Gonta understand. Gonta visit forest family during break, and he not able to text also,” The entomologist said, pushing his glasses up. “But Gonta no understand texts anyway. They weird magic.”

Himiko put her hands on her hips. “For the last time, texting isn’t magic!”

Miu rolled her eyes. She leaned back in her chair, completely ignoring Gonta and Himiko. “Wow, sucks to be you. I knew you were a fucking moron but really? You forgot your phone? You must’ve been busy jackin’ off instead of making sure you packed everything,” She said, “Why’d you even lie, though? You being stupid and fucking off to an astronaut sex club is a lot more believable than you spending your break with hot women, you fucking virgin.”

“Having a hot girl summer just sounded cooler,” Kaito admitted, his shoulders slumped in defeat, “I wanted to seem cool.”

Tsumugi frowned. “Seem cool some other way. Lying makes you sound an awful lot like Ouma,” She said, twirling her hair in her fingers, “And I don’t think you want to be like him.”

As if on cue, Kokichi burst through the door. “Who sounds an awful lot like me?” He asked, tilting his head to the side with a shit-eating grin plastered across his face. He wore his weird straight jacket outfit like usual, and he had a checker print scarf tied on. “Was somebody trying to replace me?”

“Nobody sounded like you. Kaito just told a lie and, honestly, I think you’re rubbing off on him too much,” Tsumugi scowled, her face scrunching up. “I think we should ask the teacher to move your seat. You’re clearly too close to him.”

Kokichi brought a hand to his face and gasped. “What? Momota-chan told a lie?” 

“Yes, that’s what I just told you,” Tsumgi said with a slight nod, glaring daggers at him. He blinked and stood still for a moment. 

Then, in an instant, Kokichi dropped to his knees and clenched his fists at his sides. Fake tears bubbled up in his eyes and he let out an over-dramatic wail, openly sobbing on the classroom floor. “WHY? How could he do such a thing? How dare he try to replace everyone’s favorite supreme leader?” Tears rolled down on his cheeks as he continued to cry. He kicked his legs on the floor like he was having a tantrum. “Lying is my job! Momota-chan is taking the only thing I have! He- He might as well just  _ kill  _ me!”

Kaito covered his ears, looking more and more annoyed by the second. Christ, he couldn’t stand Kokichi. That brat was the only person he didn’t miss talking to over the summer. “Shut up already, Ouma!” He shouted, “I’m not stealing anything from you, I hate you too much for that. Quit crying!”

Kokichi stood up, his tears now gone. He grinned again. “Aw, you hate me? That’s  _ so  _ mean. You’re  _ so  _ not cool, Momota-chan.” He puffed his cheeks and pouted, stomping his feet like an angry child. “I’m in love with you! Can’t you tell? Love me back already, idiot!”

“Wha- No you’re not! Quit lying,” Kaito said, his face slightly flushed, “I don’t even think you’re capable of love. All you’ve done since you met us is be a dick to everyone.”

With a laugh, Kokichi started walking to the desk behind Kaito and took his seat. “You caught me!” He giggled, “I was lying, I don’t love you. I hate your guts too!” He made a peace sign, then paused and looked away with a frown on his face. He started shaking. “But to say I’m incapable of love? That’s going pretty far…” He looked down at his desk, sniffling as his eyes started to water again. His voice trembled. “Y-You really are mean, Momota-chan.”

Kaito faltered. “Wait, Ouma, I didn’t mean that,” He said, looking down at the and frowning. “That was taking it too far. I’m sorry-”

“Another lie!” Kokichi looked up, no trace of the previous sadness on his face. “Jeez, you should really learn to tell when I’m lying. You were right, you know! The doctors told me I’m incapable of love! They also said my arms are going to fall off later today, so you should be nicer to me.” He stuck his tongue out at Kaito and snickered. “You’re gonna feel real guilty when my arms are gone.”

Kaito’s face heated up from embarrassment, and he covered his mouth with one of his hands, his brows furrowing. He couldn’t believe he fell for Kokich’s bullshit. He hunched his shoulders, sitting down in his chair and turning away. He stared straight ahead at the front of the room, grumbling. Kokichi was insufferable. He hated him so much. 

Normally, Kaito wasn’t the type to hate others. Hating people left a bad taste in his mouth. Kokichi seemed to be the only exception. As soon as Kokichi introduced himself in an annoying manner that raised more questions than it answered, Kaito was filled with a strong urge to deck him. It didn’t take long to act on that urge. 

By now, the teacher had walked into class and was taking role, but Kaito was barely paying attention. He was too caught up in stewing in his own anger. He couldn’t help but recall all the times Kokichi pissed him off instead of tuning into class. 

\---

It was the second monday of their first year at Hope’s Peak. Nobody was close enough to be friends yet, but groups had been formed and every one was chatting amongst themselves while they waited for class to start. When the classroom door swung open, everybody quieted down and turned their attention to the teacher.

Except she wasn’t there. 

At the front of the room stood none other than Kokichi Ouma, donning a tacky black cape and matching hat. He laughed and sat down on top of the teacher’s desk. “Good morning everyone!” He beamed, giving an over-animated wave. “I’m afraid Mrs. Tsukinose will be running late today. She’s a little… tied up at the moment. But no need to worry! Your local supreme leader has prepared a lesson plan, so you won’t be missing out on your  _ important  _ education.”

Tsumugi stood up. “Now, hold on a minute-” She said, raising her voice a bit, “That’s not what we’re worried about! What did you do to our teacher? I know you did something.”

Kokichi motioned for her to sit back down, glaring. “Don’t Interrupt me, Shirogane,” He spat. Once she was seated, he went back to smiling. “But, if you have to know, I did do  _ something _ . I am evil, afterall. When people around me go missing it’s because I wanted them gone. So, to be completely honest...” He paused and clapped his hands together. “I had my goons kidnap her!”

The class exploded with gasps and shocked expressions, making Kokichi laugh again, even louder this time. “Calm down, calm down. I might be lying, afterall!” He giggled and adjusted his hat. Then his tone and expression grew cold. He seemed deathly serious all of the sudden. “Now shut up. I have something important to show you all. Next person to talk before I’m done will join Mrs. Tsukinose, got it?”

Most of everyone nodded nervously. Nobody dared speak. 

“Thank you for understanding!” Kokichi chirped, back to being giddy. He got off of the desk and marched over to the blackboard, picking up a piece of chalk and starting to write. When he was done, he turned around to reveal the words ‘Maki Harukawa is the Ultimate Assassin’ followed by five exclamation points. His handwriting was messy and childish and made it nearly impossible to read. Kokichi gestured to it triumphantly. “See? Look at this important information I’ve dug up for everyone! I thought you guys would wanna know that there’s a killer among you, so I took the liberty of bringing it to light. You’re welcome!”

Kaito stood up this time, his hands balled into fists. “Shut up!” He yelled, “That’s not true, Harukawa would never do such a thing! You’re lying again!”

“Me, lying?” Kokichi gasped, putting a hand to his chest like he was hurt. “I would never! … Or maybe I would, who knows? I am a liar, afterall! Or maybe I’m not, hm?” He put his hands behind his head and shut his eyes, humming. “I could be lying about being a liar. Or I could be lying about lying about being a liar. ”

“I told you to shut up!” Kaito said, not caring for Kokichi’s antics at all. “I believe in Harukawa, so quit your bullshit! Nobody here thinks you’re telling the truth. Just give it up already!”

Kokichi rolled his eyes and scoffed. “My, how…  _ heroic _ ,” He sneered, as if merely saying the word made him sick. “It’s just like you to stand up for somebody you barely know. But guess what, Momota-chan! I’m not lying at all! I know I lie all the time, but when it comes to things like killing I’m deadly serious.” His voice dragged on and he seemed to be genuinely disgusted with Kaito.

“Anywho, here’s my proof!” Kokichi reached into the neck of his cape and pulled out a stack of papers. He tossed them into the air with a flourish, scattering them around the classroom in the process. “Read em’ and weep!”

One of the papers landed on Kaito’s desk. He picked it up with shaky hands, and his blood went cold when he realized what it was.  _ It was Maki’s admissions paperwork _ . Kokichi had blacked out important personal information, like her previous address and phone number, but he had also circled her talent in red ink. What it said was undeniable: Maki was the Ultimate Assassin. 

Kokichi cackled. “See? Do you believe me now? I told you I was telling the truth!” He took a moment to fix his cape, then pointed at Kaito. “This is what you get for believing in strangers. You just defended a cold blooded killer, Mr. Hero! How do you feel now?” His tone was nothing short of mocking.

Kaito stared at him for a moment, completely dumbfounded, and then he turned to look at Maki. He wanted to tell her something inspirational and uplifting instead of wasting his breath on a bastard like Kokichi. He didn’t end up saying anything, though, because when he looked at Maki she was getting up from her desk and making her way to the front of the room, her expression unreadable.

When she got to the front of the room, she wrapped a hand around Kokichi’s throat without saying anything, lifting him into the air as she did so. Kokichi forced out a laugh. 

“Gh- Y’know, this is an.. Interesting t-turn of events-” Kokichi managed to say, his voice raspy from the strangling, “B-But are you really going to kill me here? In front of everyone? … I- I, uh- I thought doing it from the shadows was more of your thing, you filthy murderer!” 

Now, Kaito had to admit that it was very nice to see Kokichi lose his composure, but this was not the ideal situation. Maki could get in trouble if she got caught like this. He didn’t want that to happen. He rushed over to her side, a small frown on his face. “Hey, Harukawa, don’t do this. Calm down. He’s not worth it.”

Maki took a deep breath and grit her teeth. After a few seconds, she gave a nod and let go of Kokichi, still glaring at him. Kokichi fell onto the desk and panted. He brought a hand to his neck, and he just sat there for a moment, catching his breath and staring back at Maki. He grinned. “Wow! Maybe you’ve got some amount of empathy left after all!” He hummed, coughing. “But probably not, you monster.”

Before they could continue talking, the door opened up and their teacher walked in. She waved at Kokichi. “Hey Ouma! Sorry I’m late. There was a  _ huge  _ line at that coffee shop you told me about, but it was real good so it was worth it. Don’t snitch on me, okay?” She said with a wink, turning to the class, “But good morning students! I’m here now, so please take your seats.”

Kaito’s jaw dropped, and he turned to look at Kokichi. “I- You- Whatever happened to what you said? You told us your goons kidnapped her!”

“Oh, that? Silly Momota-chan, that was a lie! I was lying!” Kokichi giggled. He started walking back to his desk, his cape flowing behind him. At that moment, Kaito decided that there wasn’t a single person on earth he hated more than that prick.

\---

“Hey, Kaito, are you listening to me?” Shuichi poked him, raising his voice and pulling Kaito out of his thoughts. “I told you it’s time for lunch. You’ve been spacing out all morning, are you feeling okay? Did you get enough sleep?” His eyebrows knitted together with concern and he cocked his head to the side.

Kaito blinked. Oh, right, class. He was in class. He shot Shuichi a goofy smile. “I’m fine, no worries. Just a bit spacey!” He chuckled. Briefly, he wondered what all he had missed. Hopefully nothing much. “You ready for lunch?”

Shuichi nodded, taking his packed lunch out of his bag and standing up. He waited for Kaito to follow him and then started walking out of the classroom. “Is Maki gonna be eating lunch with us?” Shuichi asked as they made their way to the cafeteria. 

“Nah, she said she’d be eating with Kaede today,” Kaito said, “Something about wanting to catch up with her only friend that wasn’t an idiot. I didn’t get it. We’re not idiots!”

Humming, Shuichi brought a hand to his chin, pretending to think. Then he smirked. “Well, one of us isn’t an idiot.”

“And it’s me!” Kaito proclaimed with a wide grin, laughing when Shuichi jabbed him in the arm. “What, are you trying to say that you’re the smart one?

Shuichi shrugged. “Yeah, I think so. I mean, there’s no way you could be the smart one. Have you seen your grades?”

Kaito gasped, looking away dramatically and clutching his chest. “I’m hurt! That hurts, Shuichi. I’ll have you know that I have straight A’s right now.”

“Everyone does,” Shuichi shot back, “The school year just started. It’s impossible to be failing on the first day of school.”

“Or is it?” Kaito asked, raising a brow. He tried his best to keep a straight face for the sake of the joke, but it was obvious that he was holding in laughter. Both of them burst out laughing, and they walked into the cafeteria, all smiles and grins. “Go ahead and find us a table, I’m gonna get in line for food.” Shuichi nodded and walked off. 

Kaito went and stood at the end of the line behind Korekiyo, waiting. Korekiyo was saying things to him, but Kaito wasn’t listening. He never listened to him. Honestly, the guy kinda creeped him out.

The line moved quickly enough, and Kaito had a tray of food in his hands sooner than later. He looked around the cafeteria to find Shuichi and walked over to his sidekick. “Is this seat taken?” He joked, sitting down next to him.

“Looks like it is now,” Shuichi snorted, opening up his lunchbox. “I thought I was reserving it for the headmaster, but you’ll make do, I guess.” 

They went quiet as they started to eat. Kaito usually spoke more at lunch, but the only thing he had eaten today was an apple and he was  _ starving _ , okay? There wasn’t any time to talk when he was busy inhaling his soup like his life depended on it.

After a few minutes, he glanced over at Shuichi and opened his mouth to say something, but he went silent when his eyes landed on Kokichi, who had just walked into the Cafeteria. His grip on his spoon got tighter and his mood soured. That motherfucker. Just seeing him made his blood boil all over again.

Shuichi frowned. He finished chewing the food in his mouth, swallowed, and then spoke. “Seriously, Kaito, are you feeling okay? You look like you’re plotting a murder, and you looked like that in class too. You can tell me if something’s bothering you.”

“Nothing’s bothering me just…” Kaito took an angry bite of his rice. “I can’t stop thinking about Kokichi. I forgot how much I hated that little freak and talking to him this morning just set me off, y’know?”

“Yeah, I get that. He bothers me too. Try not to let him get under your skin, alright? That’s exactly what he wants,” Shuichi advised.

Kaito nodded. “I’ll try,” He lied. He knew there was no way he’d be able to stop himself from getting pissed because of Ouma. “I’ve got better things to think about anyway.”

He did not. He went back to eating and, despite his best efforts, his mind drifted back to things Kokichi had done.

\---

By the time their second year at Hope’s Peak had rolled around, everyone in the class knew that Kokichi’s cape and hat were bad omens. He didn’t wear them often, but when he did, he always ended up causing more trouble than usual. They were a uniform for his sadism. 

So, when they walked into the classroom to see him standing on one of the desks, holding his hat and tying his cape on, the whole class was filled with a sense of dread.  _ What was he going to do this time? Who was he going to expose? Who would get hurt? _

Kokichi turned to grin at everyone once his hat was on. He pulled an index card out of his pocket. “Ahem,” he said, starting to read off of it, “Greetings fellow classmates! I have a very important and very special announcement for all of you! Th-” He was cut off by Kaito punching him square in the jaw. The action sent him toppling off of the desk, and he hit the ground with a thud. He hissed in pain.

“Spare us the lecture, Ouma. Nobody wants to listen to your bullshit!” Kaito yelled. He looked down at him with clenched fists and gritted teeth. “We’re tired of you hurting us! Cut it out!”

The boy in question curled up into a ball, rubbing his face and frowning. He sniffled pathetically and his eyes grew watery. “Jeez… M-Momota-chan, you’re such a bully...” He mumbled, voice wavering, “At least hear me out before you hit me, this wasn’t gonna be anything bad! I was just gonna invite you guys to my birthday party...”

Kaito raised a brow, hesitating for a moment. “No you weren’t?” He said slowly. He had meant to sound sure of himself, but it ended up coming out like a question. “You wouldn’t do something like that. All you do is fuck with people and make them feel bad.”

“Or invite them to my birthday!” Kokichi cried, sobs wracking his body. He trembled, bringing his hands to his face and covering his eyes. “I-I thought we were friends! All of us! We were supposed to close, and I wanted you guys to celebrate with me… But you just proved that we’re not friends, none of us. You’re so mean to me…”

For a moment, Kaito felt bad. He tried to push the feeling away. “You’re mean too, and you’re worse to us. Get up and drop the act! Quit lying, Ouma. Nobody believes you.”

“B-But it’s the truth!” Kokichi hiccuped out. It sounded like he was struggling to breathe. “I’m turning seventeen in a week, I was gonna have a big party and everything!”

Kaito couldn’t ignore the guilt anymore. Sure, he hated the guy, but that didn’t make him feel any less awful for making him cry like this. He sighed. “... Fine, I’m sorry. Tell us about your party.” He looked away as he spoke.

Kokichi rose to his feet, grinning. The tears were completely gone. “Thank you Momota-chan! I’m  _ so  _ glad you apologized to me!” He giggled and picked his index card back up. “But, here’s the thing…” He drawled, looking at the ceiling. “I lied! My birthday isn’t for a long time!”

The sense of dread washed over Kaito again, and he stared at Kokichi, furious. How did he manage to fall for that act again? Why did the tears always make him feel bad? He wished he could stop being so empathetic when it came to Kokichi. Nothing good would come from feeling bad for that little shit.

“What I actually wanted to announce before I was rudely punched, was that I recently found out that Momota-chan, our resident hero, Mr. Always-Honest, faked his paperwork in order to pass his astronaut exams! Who knows what else he could be faking. Maybe his shady acquaintance gave him a fake birth certificate or a fake ID!” Kokichi laughed, glancing at Kaito with a sinister look on his face. “I’d hate to be in a class with somebody so dishonest. Don’t you guys agree?”

Kaito got ready to throw another punch but, before he got the chance, Kokichi sprinted out of the room. 

\---

The lunch bell rang, forcing Kaito out of his thoughts once more. He stared down at his half finished food with a sigh. Looks like he got so absorbed in his anger that he forgot to finish eating. He turned to Shuichi. “You can go on ahead to class, I’m gonna speedrun eating this. I won’t be too late.”

Shuichi nodded and stood up. “Alright, I’ll let Mrs. Tsukinose know you’re running behind.” He closed his lunchbox and left the cafeteria. “You’re one of her favorite students so you probably won’t get in trouble.

Kaito laughed. “Yeah, I know. But you’re one of her favorites too! If you’re the one telling her, then I’m even less likely to get scolded. See you in a bit.” He waved goodbye to Shuichi, grinning, then turned back to his food. He scarfed it down as quickly as he could but made sure he didn’t choke.

When he was finished, he stood up and grabbed his trash, walking over to the side of the cafeteria where all the garbage cans were. Then he paused when he noticed someone out of the corner of his eye. All the students had filed out by now and gone to class, so he thought he was alone. Apparently not. 

Kokichi was still on the other side of the Cafeteria. For a moment, Kaito was filled with the strong urge to leave. He hated that little shit. He didn’t want to be in the same room as him longer than he had to. Before he could leave, though, his head started to fill with questions.  _ Why was Kokichi still here? What was he up to? Why didn’t he leave with everyone else? _

Kaito pressed himself up against a wall, trying to blend in with his surroundings. He had no clue why, but he felt compelled to stay. He kept his gaze focused on Kokichi. Maybe catching him doing something wrong would make his rage feel more justified. Or maybe he just had a weird, morbid curiosity about everything that fucker did. Who knows.

He watched as Kokichi glanced around the cafeteria, checking for other students. Kaito was afraid he was going to be caught. Thankfully, though, Kokichi didn’t seem to notice him. What a relief. He let out a sigh.

Kokichi unzipped his backpack and walked over to where the staff stored the parts of lunch that were pre-packed and processed— things like yogurt, apple slices, juice, and milk. After a moment of hesitation, he started grabbing food by the handful, shoving it in his bag until he couldn’t fit anything else. He then zipped it up and slung it over his shoulders like nothing happened.

Kaito tossed his trash and ran out of the Cafeteria, not wanting to be seen. Once he was in the hall, even more questions ran through his mind, but it was mostly a loud chorus of  _ what the fuck? _ He didn’t know how to make heads or tails of what he just saw. So he didn’t. He shouldn’t be spending so much time thinking about Kokichi, anyway. He started walking back to class.


	2. Connecting the dots.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito sees a few more things. (Trigger warning for smoking)

Kaito didn’t mention what he saw in the cafeteria at all that day. He didn’t know how to. Classes went by in a blur, and he spent most of the time thinking about Kokichi then trying to stop. He didn’t want Kokichi to occupy so much space in his head.

It didn’t take long for a whole week to pass like that.

\---

Kaede stood at the front of the room after class on Friday, her hands clasped together and a smile on her face. “Listen up guys! I have a great idea,” she announced, “Since tomorrow’s Saturday, I was thinking that we could all go out for dinner together and maybe do some karaoke afterwards.” She paused for a second, her eyes twinkling as she made fists with her hands and pumped them into the air. “It would be like a party! Shuichi and I were talking about it yesterday, and he said that something like this would be a great way to kick off the school year. What do you guys think?”

“I think it’s a great idea, Kaede,” Kirumi said, “But perhaps it’d be better if I cooked for everyone. It would save us a lot of money, and I’d be happy to serve you all.” She bowed slightly.

Shaking her head, Kaede waved Kirumi off. “No! I mean, it’s sweet that you’d offer, but I want this to be a party for everyone! And it’s not a party for everyone if you’re serving us, is it?”

Kirumi thought for a moment. “... I suppose it wouldn’t be,” She agreed, “Still, though, let me know if you reconsider or would like to take me up on my offer some other time. My services are always available to my classmates.”

“If I change my mind, I’ll let you know,” Kaede sighed, still smiling, “But I don’t think I will. I want everyone to have as much fun as possible!”

Gonta perked up, his eyes just as sparkly and excited as Kaede’s. “Oh! Gonta love Kaede’s idea!” He beamed, “Gonta will go and he pay for all his classmate’s food also! Gonta is gentleman, he want everyone to eat without worry about pay.” He grinned.

Kaede grinned back at him. “Really, Gonta? You’d do that?” She asked excitedly, “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to, but I’d really appreciate it.”

“Of course Gonta do that! Gonta not use money much anyway, he don’t have big need for green paper.” He pushed his glasses up. “Gonta want to be gentleman for whole class! He pay for all food and karaoke and everything.”

“Then it’s settled! We’ll all go out tomorrow, and Gonta will pay,” Kaeda said, putting her hands on her hips, “Now all we need is a restaurant… I got it! Shuichi, how about you pick where we eat?”

Shuichi was caught off guard by the sudden mention of his name, and his face heated up a little. He looked away. “Um- I-” He stammered, trying his best to think of a place as quickly as he could. “There’s a really good steakhouse across from Hotel Mirai,” He suggested. “If that sounds good to any of you?”

Kaede thought for a moment and nodded. “That sounds great! I think I’ve been there before, too. I’ll message the group chat with a time and the address right now so everybody remembers.” She pulled out her phone and started typing quickly, humming to herself. Then she paused. “Oh, wait, Kokichi’s not in the groupchat.”

Kaito groaned. “You’re inviting him? Nobody’s gonna have any fun if he’s around. He’ll probably spend the whole night harassing waiters and making fun of our singing.”

“Maybe,” Kaede shrugged, “But this is a party for the _ whole _class. I’m going to invite Kokichi.” She looked around the classroom. “Speaking of which, where is he? I could’ve sworn he was here just a minute ago.”

Shuichi brought a hand to his chin and tried to recall the last place he’d seen Kokichi. “Maybe he snuck out?” He said, “I mean, he does just disappear sometimes. He could be hiding in the hallway and getting ready to scare Kaito. Who knows.”

“Yeah, maybe. Kaito, you go check!” Kaede said, turning to him, “I know you two hate each other, but Kokichi always jumps at the chance to argue with you so you’ll probably have better luck finding him than Shuichi and I would.”

Kaito sighed. “I mean, you’re right but… I don’t want to look for him! I don’t even want to invite him!” Kaede gave him a stern look, and he slumped his shoulders in defeat. “Fine, fine. I’ll go look, but only because I have to piss, okay? If I didn’t already have a reason to leave I wouldn’t be leaving.”

“If you say so,” Kaede chuckled, “Just tell us if you see him, okay? None of us know how to contact him, so if you can’t find him we can’t invite him.”

Kaito nodded and walked out of the room. He had no plans of looking for Kokichi. He was just going to piss, stand in the hallway for a bit, and come back.

\---

He swung the bathroom door open, walking in. He froze in his tracks when he heard Kokichi’s voice. _ Fuck _ . Of course that guy was in the one place Kaito actually checked. He looked around for a moment and then realized that Kokichi was in a stall. _ Huh? Why was he in there? Actually… Why was he on his phone in the bathroom in the first place? Was he trying to make sure nobody would hear his call? What was he even talking about? _

His mind was racing again and he decided to listen in. It was rude, but he didn’t really care. Ever since the lunchtime incident yesterday, he couldn’t stop wondering what Kokichi was up to. Maybe this phone call would give him some answers. He tried his best to make as little noise as possible so that he wouldn’t be noticed. 

“-I told you, it’s too soon, we already did it yesterday. I won’t be able to do it again for at least a few days, maybe even a week or two. Nothing's gonna change that, okay?” Kokichi said, his voice hushed. He sounded so different from normal. His voice lacked the usual confidence. Kaito couldn’t hear the person on the other line, but he assumed they were speaking now because Kokichi paused for a bit. Then Kokichi cleared his throat, sighing. “... Look, I might be able to do something with you tomorrow, but I can’t get too roughed up. School started again, people will catch on.”

Kaito bit his lip, standing perfectly still. _ What was Kokichi talking about? Who was he talking to? What were they going to do? What would people catch on to? _ Probably something evil, Kaito bet. Kokichi was always up to no good. There was a good chance that he was on the phone with one of the members of his secret organization plotting an attack or a crime. Kaito listened back in when Kokichi started speaking again.

“How much money am I going to make again?” Kokichi asked, tapping his foot impatiently. Then he kicked the wall. Hard. Kaito flinched. “I’m going to need more than that if you want me so soon! I’m still sore, dammit! If you don’t plan on paying me properly for my time then just call somebody else.”

_ What the hell was Kokichi getting involved with? _ Kaito started brainstorming different theories. Maybe he was getting paid to get beaten, or maybe he was getting paid to be an accomplice. Did crime work like that? Were criminals normally paid up front for their time? Kaito wouldn’t know, he wasn’t a criminal! Briefly, he wondered if Kokichi was a hitman or something like that, but he couldn’t think of a reason that would leave him feeling sore. Maybe it was an emotional sore? _ No, Kokichi didn’t have feelings. _ Ugh. This was so confusing. Kaito crossed his arms.

“Alright, that amount works. I’ll meet you at the usual place tomorrow night, okay? And go easy on me. You have to, you just promised you would! Bye!” Kokichi hummed and hung up, then started kicking at the wall again. “Stupid, stupid, _ stupid _!” he shouted, suddenly sounding very angry.

It kind of scared Kaito. He looked out into the hall, contemplating leaving, but remembered that he still needed to piss. Damn. Might as well make his presence known. He finally shut the door and walked all the way into the bathroom.

Kokichi squeaked and dropped his phone. He poked his head out of the stall and, for the first time, he looked like he was caught off guard. He stared at Kaito for a moment, his eyes wide. “K-Kaito!” he stuttered, glaring, “How much of that did you hear?”

“How much of what?” Kaito asked, deciding that it was in his best interest to play dumb. “I, uh, just walked in here.” He paused. “Kaede told me to look for you.”

Kokichi squinted at him, clearly not buying it, but he didn’t press any further either. He nodded. “Of course she did. She’s still in the classroom, right? I’ll head over there in a sec. I gotta wash my hands.”

Kaito nodded back. “Yeah- I’m just gonna- Um-” He stammered as he walked over to the urinals. He’d never felt so awkward in his life. “... Yeah.”

“Jeez, Momota-chan. No need to be such a weirdo about pissing. We’re in the bathroom, afterall. You’re not a freak for having a bladder.”

\---

Kokichi marched into the classroom, placing a hand on his hip and leaning to the side. By now, most people had left, so Kaede and Shuichi were the only people there. “I heard that a certain piano freak was looking for me,” Kokichi grinned and walked over to Kaede, “So, what do you want from me?”

“I wanted to tell you that we’re all going to get together for dinner and karaoke tomorrow night,” Kaede said with a smile. “You weren’t in the room when I said it, but I wanted to make sure that you knew you were invited, Kokichi.”

His face wrinkled up in disgust. “_ Ouma _,” He corrected, “We’re not close enough for you to call me my first name, piano freak.” He snickered, then shut his eyes and thought for a moment. “Hm… Tomorrow night? Like tomorrow night as in tomorrow at night?”

Kaede forced out an awkward chuckle. “Uh, yes, that’s what tomorrow night means.”

“Oh! Well, in that case, I’m going to be busy,” Kokichi said with a grin, “Me and my secret organization are gonna start planning a bank robbery. I can’t miss that no matter what. Not even a party with my dear classmates would be a good enough excuse to be absent.” He hugged himself and sighed. “And that’s such a shame! I’ve been wanting to party with you guys since my seventeenth birthday! I’ve been waiting for over a year now, and I have to miss it? Why is the universe so cruel?” He burst into sobs, wailing. Kaede covered her ears.

Shuichi, who was sitting on a desk, frowned and looked over at the two of them. He tilted his head to the side. “Um, Ouma, isn’t your organization supposed to be temporarily disbanded while you’re a student here? Or, at least, aren’t you guys supposed to be putting your antics on pause?” He asked, “You should be able to make it to the party.”

Kokichi frowned, then laughed. Like always, he was quick to recover from his fake crying. “Of course you’d remember that, Mr. Detective,” He said slowly, “But, here’s the deal, when the school told me to put operations on pause… I didn’t do it.” He shrugged. “I just lied to them and said I did. What? Are you surprised? Did you really think I’d stop everything? I’m the supreme leader of evil, dumbass, I can’t just stop making evil plans.”

“Ah- Well- The school checks in with us all the time, they’d know if you were still running your organization,” Shuichi argued, “If you don’t want to go just say so. No need to lie about preparing to rob a bank.”

“You caught me!” Kokichi laughed, “Just take the handcuffs out already, ‘cause you just found me out. I lied. I don’t have plans tonight, and I want to go to your party. Piano freak!” He turned to Kaede. “Write down the address for me, and the time too!”

Kaede nodded, pulling her notebook out of her backpack and grabbing a pen too. She started writing down all the information in neat cursive. She handed the paper to Kokichi. “Here you go! I hope to see you there, Ouma. You’ve never hung out with us before so I’m sure it’ll be fun.”

“Thank you so much,” Kokichi said as he took the note. He held it up in the air and observed it closely, a wide smirk forming on your face. “Akamatsu, you have _ very _nice handwriting. Has anyone ever told you that?” Before Kaede could respond to the compliment, Kokichi tore the paper in half, cackling.

Shuichi stood up. “Ouma, what the hell?” He scolded. “Why’d you do that?” He glared at the smaller boy, his hands forming fists.

“Why’d I do what?” Kokichi sneered, ripping the halves into smaller shreds and watching as they fell to the floor, “Why’d I tear up that stupid paper? The answer is simple! I actually _ do _have plans tonight and I can’t make it to your party. I lied again earlier.” He shrugged, waving Shuichi off. “Plus, even if I could make it, I wouldn’t go. I have better people to spend my time with.”

Shuichi huffed. “I don’t care about your plans!’ He raised his voice, but still sounded as calm and collected as ever. “I couldn’t care less if you went and hung out with other people instead of us. I asked why you did that because there was no reason for you to pull such a dick move. Kaede was trying to be nice to you.”

Kokichi pouted, stomping. “There was a reason, though! I’m evil, Saihara-chan! I’m a bad person and I do bad things!” He grinned and brought a hand to his chest, giggling. “Sometimes people are just awful. Some people wreak havoc for the hell of it, and I’m one of those people. All I want to do is watch the world burn. Why haven’t you noticed that already?”

Shuichi fell silent, and Kaede wasn’t saying anything either. They both stood there with frowns on their faces, watching as Kokichi clutched his sides and laughed until he was crying.

After a bit, Kokichi wiped his eyes. He put his hands behind his head. “Welp! That was fun! I had a good laugh, I’m in a good mood now. I better head out,” he started walking towards the classroom door, “Next time you guys plan a party you should totally invite me. I’d love to rip up your invitation again!”

He went to walk out of the door but, right as he did, Kaito walked into the classroom, forcing Kokichi to come to a halt. Kaito looked down at him and frowned. “What’s this about ripping invitations?” He asked. 

“Kaede wrote down the time and address for Ouma, but he tore it to shreds right in front of her!” Shuichi answered, not giving Kokichi a chance to lie and twist the situation in his favor.

Kokichi frowned, sighing and looking at the floor. “In my defense, it was the only logical thing to do.”

Kaito shook his head. “Like hell it was!” He barked, glaring at Kokichi, “Why would you do something like that, you sick fuck? Kaede was the only person in the class who wanted to include you. You don’t deserve her kindness. Apologize.”

“I’m not gonna!” Kokichi crossed his arms, “If I did, you’d just get mad at me for lying about being sorry. I can’t win here! Also, I literally don’t care at all. There’s no reason for me to exist on your weird, morally righteous terms. So, if you’d just let me leave-”

Kaito blocked the doorway completely. “No. You’re not going anywhere until you say sorry.” Shuichi and Kaede exchanged uneasy looks, but didn’t try to stop Kaito. They knew it would be impossible.

“Fine, whatever,” Kokichi said, looking away. Any apparent annoyance left him completely. “I don’t have anywhere to be tonight, so I’ll just stay here with you. I don’t plan on apologizing and you have no way of making me. It looks like we’ll be staying the night. That sounds lovely, doesn’t it? My, it’s almost like a date! How romantic! Momota-chan, I had no clue you swung that way.” He chuckled.

“My sexuality has nothing to do with this,” Kaito said, “And I _ can _make you apologize.” He smirked back at Kokichi. For once, he felt like he had the higher ground.

Kokichi blinked, cocking his head to the side and raising a brow. “Really? What could you possibly do to make me apologize? Beat me up? Toture me? Gouge my eyes out-”

Kaito shook his head. “No! Nothing like that, creep. Some of us aren’t sadistic monsters. I just have blackmail!” He announced triumphantly, bringing his hands together and laughing. “So tell Kaede you’re sorry, or I’m gonna let your secret out of the bag!”

For a moment, Kokichi looked genuinely terrified. He looked back and forth between Kaede and Kaito with a panicked expression on his face. He looked even more shaken than he had in the bathroom earlier. He quickly recovered from the shock, though, and pulled a smile. “Yeah? What secret?” He said, an edge of danger seeping into his voice, “What do you know, Momota-chan?”

“You were stealing from the cafeteria the other day,” Kaito said simply, unsure why it had gotten that much of a rise out of Kokichi. But he wasn’t complaining. “Now Kaede and Shuichi know, but the rest of the class doesn’t. I’m sure everyone in this room would be willing to keep quiet about your thievery if you just said sorry.”

Kokichi let out a relieved sigh. He laughed again, rocking back and forth on his heels, back in a good mood. “You call that blackmail?” He taunted, “I steal from the cafeteria everyday! I’m an awful person, I take all the extra food I can so that nobody else can have it! I don’t even eat it, I just throw it away.”

Kaito frowned, a bit dejected. Damn. It didn’t work. He was kind of hoping it would, but now he felt like a fool for thinking it might. He wondered what to do next. Should he bring up the phone call? Or should he just let Kokichi go? He wasn’t able to make a decision because, soon enough, Kokichi was talking again.

“Now, I’d suggest you move out of the way and let me go. I lied. I can’t spend all night here. If you don’t let me out I’m gonna give my goons a call, and your precious grandparents will go missing. You don’t want that happening, do you?”

Kaito faltered, his eyes wide. He stepped to the side without saying anything. Kokichi skipped out of the room, his face completely devoid of emotion. 

Shuichi frowned. “You know you didn’t have to do that, right? I mean, Kaede and I were a little upset, but you’re the only one who takes Ouma’s crap personally. You could’ve just let him leave.”

“No I couldn’t have,” Kaito crossed his arms. “What kind of hero would let a guy like that leave?”

\---

Saturday night came around pretty quickly, and Kaito found himself sitting in the back of the room, fighting back a headache. Dinner had been fun, but Karaoke? It was playing out like a nightmare. Some of his classmates were good singers, and he had a lot of fun singing with Maki and Shuichi, but everything else was physically painful. He fought back a groan as listened to Ryoma and Korekiyo’s metal ballad. He was fairly certain his ears were going to start bleeding.

About a minute into their song, he decided he couldn’t take it anymore. Kaito stood up and tapped Shuichi on the shoulder. “Hey, I’m gonna step out for a minute,” he said, “I need some fresh air. It’s kinda crowded in here, y’know? A place like this can only fit so many high schoolers.”

Shuichi nodded. “I get that. Do you want me to come with you?” He asked. Kaito shook his head. “Alright, I’ll let Maki know you stepped outside so she doesn’t get worried.”

“Thanks, man! You’re the best,” Kaito grinned. He walked out of the room and made his way outside, slipping into an alley between the steakhouse and karaoke place. It was pretty convenient that they were right next to each other, he thought. Did Shuichi know they’d be close to each other? Probably. Shuichi was smart like that.

Kaito reached into his pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Smoking was a bad habit of his, and it wasn’t one he was about to tell his friends about. He planned on keeping it a secret. He lit one up and took a long drag, letting it out slowly and shutting his eyes. It was nice out here. Quiet. There weren’t any screeching, shitty covers of metal. Just silence and the occasional car driving by. 

“Give me my fucking money, you bastard!” Somebody shouted from across the street, interrupting Kaito’s smoke break. His eyes snapped open and he peeked out of the alley to see what was happening. Two people were arguing in front of the hotel across the street and, judging from the shorter one’s body language, it was probably going to get physical. Kaito didn’t know either of them, but he still felt the need to go over there and break it up. He sighed and put his cigarette out on a brick, crossing the street

“What the hell is going on here?” He shouted at the two of them, taking a closer look at them both. One of them was a man with black hair who appeared to be in his late forties, and the other one was a short boy wearing leather shorts and a baggy hoodie that hid his face. The man looked pissed. The boy was staring at the ground.

The man put his hands on his hips, his brows furrowing. “This random kid came up to me in the hotel lobby and started demanding that I give him money,” He explained, his underlying anger more than apparent in his voice, “I was trying to get away, but he chased after me, and now you’re here. So call the cops, why don’t ya? My phone’s dead so I can’t do it myself.”

“He’s lying!” The boy said, shaking his head, “I hate liars! He- We- I-I can’t explain it, but this fucker owes me money, and he won’t give it to me. It’s not fair! I need the cash!” He stomped his feet, shaking. “Please, just give me my money! You promised you would!””

Kaito froze. _ That voice. _ “Ouma?” He all but gasped, unsure what else to say. The boy drew in a sharp breath and looked up at Kaito, his purple eyes watery. _ It was him. _ “Holy shit, Kokichi, what the fuck is happening right now?”

Kokichi looked genuinely horrified. His eyes were wide and he was shaking like a leaf, fidgeting with his hands and struggling to breathe. Kaito had never seen him like this before. Or, at least, not in a manner that seemed so honest. “I- M-Money-” Kokichi stuttered, unable to get any other words out.

Kaito still had no clue what was happening, but something about this situation compelled him to take Kokichi’s side for once. He turned and glared at the man. “Give him his money,” He said sternly, cracking his knuckles and getting ready to throw a punch, “I don’t wanna have to beat the shit out of somebody your age, but I will if that’s what it takes.”

The man huffed, then waved his hands in the air. “Jeez, I didn’t know this fucker had a _ business partner, _” he spat. He pulled his wallet out and took a pretty large stack of cash out, throwing it on the ground. “Take it. I don’t give a shit.” He stormed off.

Kokichi was still in tears, but he dropped to his knees and started to frantically pick the money up, sobbing. Kaito knelt down and helped him out, frowning. He handed Kokichi all the bills he collected.

“Are… you okay?” Kaito asked slowly, a bit hesitant to even speak. He was half expecting Kokichi to laugh and make fun of him for falling for a prank, but the laughter never came. Kokichi didn’t even say that this was a lie. In fact, he didn’t say anything at all. “Seriously, are you alright? What was that? Who was that guy? Ouma what-”

He was cut off by Kokichi looking up at him, glaring daggers. His eyes were still glossy with tears. “Don’t tell anybody about this. Don’t let anybody know. Fucking promise me you won’t tell anyone,” Kokichi whispered, his voice wobbling. “This isn’t like me stealing at lunch. This isn’t something other people can know. P-Promise you won’t say anything, and then promise you’ll act like you didn’t see anything too.”

“Uh- I promise,” Kaito said, visibly confused “I don’t understand at all, but I try to do the right thing so… my lips are sealed. Got it?” Kokichi nodded, nearly falling over the second he stood up. His legs were shaky and his balance was off. If it weren’t for Kaito catching him, he probably would’ve landed on the ground. “Are you heading back to the dorms?”

Kokichi nodded again, refusing to make eye contact. “Where the fuck else would I go?” He mumbled.

Kaito blinked, then let out a nervous chuckle. “I have no clue, actually, I just figured I’d ask,” He said. Then he scooped Kokichi up, carrying him bridal style. “I’m heading back to the dorms too! So I’ll give you a free ride.”

“You’re a fucking moron,” Kokichi said. Outside of that, he didn’t protest. That’s how Kaito knew something was wrong. He looked down at the boy in his arms, and decided he wouldn’t comment on the bruises that littered Kokichi’s legs. He had been through enough tonight.

“Are you cold?” Kaito asked as he started to walk back to campus, “Those shorts can’t be doing much to help you stay warm.”

Kokichi shook his head. “I-I’m not cold,” He lied even though he was shivering. He pulled his hood back on. “I don’t get cold easily.”

Kaito rolled his eyes. “You don’t need to lie right now, Ouma. There’s no point in it. Here, gimme a sec…” He trailed off, and moved so he was holding Kokichi up with one arm. Kokichi was impressed that Kaito was strong enough to do that. Kaito was shocked that Kokichi was light enough for that to be easy. He shrugged his coat off with his free arm, then draped it over Kokichi like a blanket. He went back to carrying the boy bridal style. “There we go! Now you won’t freeze to death.”

The walk back to the dorms was silent and awkward. Kokichi stopped crying a few minutes into it, but neither of them had calmed down. A lot had just happened. Neither of them knew how to process it. Kokichi looked like he’d just seen a ghost, and Kaito felt like he was going to die of a stress induced heart attack. 

Once they were at the dorms, he set Kokichi down in front of his door, and was surprised to see the boy pull lock picking tools out of his pocket instead of a key. “Did you lock your keys inside or something?” Kaito asked, raising a brow.

“Nah,” Kokichi muttered, starting to pick his lock, “I got rid of my key on the first day of school. If there’s a key to my room, then people can get into my room easily. They just have to find my key. But if I do it like this there’s less to worry about.” He smiled when he heard a click, and he turned his doorknob, opening the door.

Kaito frowned. “Do you have paranoia or something?” He asked, concerned. He hadn’t felt concerned about Kokichi in a long time.

“Silly Momota-chan! That was a lie,” Kokichi chuckled, finally slipping back into his usual persona, “My keys are in a different pair of shorts. I forgot to take them out with me.”

Kaito just stared at him for a moment, and he unlocked his own door. “... If you say so,” He said slowly.

\---

That night, Kaito couldn’t sleep. He was still trying to make sense of what had happened. Then, when he got out of bed to get a glass of water, he finally connected all the dots. The phone call, the bruises, the shorts, the hotel, the older man, the money… _ Oh god. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's me again! I feel like this chapter isn't as good as the first one >~< but that might just be because I didn't have as much fun writing it. A lot of this was a total grind tbh, but It was necessary. I gotta go through all the plot points before I can write my favorite bits. Anyway! Hope you guys liked this! Next chapter will actually be centered around Kokichi's thoughts instead of Kaito's! Please leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed this <3 it gives me a lot of motivation and feedback is very important to me. Sorry if there are any typos, I kinda sort pulled an all nighter.


	3. Bathroom breakdown.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally some kokichi pov!!! Anyway I do want to give a warning! There is a very brief allusion to self harm and, while nothing it explicit or shown, I think it'd be unfair to spring it upon people without saying anything. This chapter also includes self depreciation and depictions of mental breakdowns. Stay safe! Other than that, hope you enjoy, sorry this took a bit and sorry it's short

Kokichi walked into his dorm and shut the door behind himself, locking it with shaky hands. He slowly slid to the floor and buried his head in his arms. He shut his eyes. Now that he was alone, he didn’t have to bother with acting like he was okay. There wasn’t an Audience here. He was free to be himself. His eyes watered and, immediately, any hint of composure he had was lost. Tears ran down his cheeks as he his breathing grew erratic. He gripped at his hair and pulled on it hard, hoping the action would ground himself a bit. 

“Stupid, stupid,  _ stupid- _ ” He all but wheezed, his voice shaking, “Why did Kaito have to find out? Why did this happen? I-I’m supposed to keep this a secret, people aren’t supposed to know- _ I _ -” He cut himself with a deep breath. As cathartic as letting himself break down could be, it wasn’t worth it if he passed out. He needed to breathe.  _ Calm down just a bit _ , he thought to himself,  _ calm down enough to function _ . He pulled on his hair even harder. “I-I’m so stupid!”

He stayed there on the floor and cried his eyes out for what felt like hours, constantly switching between mumbling to himself and hyperventilating uncontrollably. The day’s events hit him like a freight train and left him paralyzed. The more he cried, the more he realized how overwhelmed by it all he was. Everything had already been way too much, but being found out by Kaito? That killed him. Kokichi felt like he was dying. Messy, paranoid thoughts ran through his head at full speed, leaving him dizzy and scared.  _ What if Kaito broke his promise? What if he told everyone? What if he exposed him as revenge for everything he had done?  _ He knew all this overthinking was helping nothing, and he tried desperately to calm down and quit, but there was a horrible tightness in his chest that made him feel like the entire world was crashing down before him.

Eventually, he managed to get enough of a grip on himself to get up. He wiped the tears off of his face and stumbled to the bathroom, still sniffling and struggling to breathe. He needed a shower. It wouldn’t fix anything, but it would feel nice and that would be enough for now. It might even calm him down.

Kokichi stripped down and turned his shower on, still mystified by the fact that he didn’t have to worry about whether or not water would come out. He had been living in the Hope’s Peak dorms for three years now, but he still wasn’t used to it. He spent most of his life being denied luxuries like this. Even though he had access to them now, he still felt undeserving and was filled with a constant fear that the school would take them away from him. He spent a lot of time waiting for the day Hope’s Peak would shut his water and electricity off. After all, why wouldn’t they? What did somebody like him do to deserve running water? He stepped into the shower, sitting down. He didn’t have the energy to stand.

Even though he didn’t feel worthy, he was thankful he could have this. It was soothing. The hot water hit his body and ran down his back, settling his heart rate and slowing his breathing. He still didn’t feel remotely okay, but he didn’t feel like he was bursting at the seams anymore. His head felt clearer. The shower washed away enough of his dread for him to function.

Kokichi picked his soap bar up and looking down at his legs blankly. They were covered in bruises and bite marks that only got worse as they trailed higher, making him look like he’d been mauled by a wild animal. He thought they looked hideous. A sick part of him enjoyed that. He deserved this sort of treatment, he thought. It was all he was worth. He was supposed to look ugly and ruined. With a small sigh, he started to wash himself, hoping the suds would wash away any remaining anxiety he felt. They didn’t. They never did.

He reached for his bottle of lavender scented shampoo and squeezed some out onto his hand, lazily latheting his hair and shutting his eyes once more, furrowing his brows. Despite feeling calmer than earlier, he couldn’t stop his mind from wandering, recalling all sorts of memories he had been trying to repress.

\---

Shortly after running out of the classroom, Kokichi turned a corner, his cape flowing behind him as he made a mad dash for the courtyard. He knew he should’ve been honest and given out the invitations he brought, but after being punched he couldn’t bring himself too. What was the point in inviting people who hate him? He didn’t hate himself enough to spend a birthday around people who were willing to stand idly as he was knocked down. He wasn’t that much of a loser.

He sat down on one of the benches, breathing in the crisp fall air and staring off into space. If his predictions were correct, then Kaito should’ve been running after him. He’d be here in a minute or so. That didn’t give Kokichi much time to steel his nerves and prepare himself for the confrontation. He frowned, counting the seconds in his head as he tried to get into character. This was going to be a pain. 

Kaito came into the courtyard right on time. He was out of breath, panting as he walked up to the bench with an angry glare on his face. “ _ You _ ,” he seethed, “Why’d you do that? Why do you always do this? What’s with you and faking tears and fucking with people’s heads? If you wanted to expose me to the class or something, you could’ve just done it! Why the fuck did you need to lie about your birthday?”

“That’s an awful rude way to say hi, Momota-chan. But who says I was lying?” Kokichi retorted with a cheeky grin, “I mean, other than me, of course. Do you have any way of proving I was lying?” 

“I do, actually. Shuichi and I checked the handbook. Your birthday is in June, it says so right here.” Kaito pulled out his own handbook and shoved it in Kokichi’s face like it proved a point. “It’s fucking  _ November _ . Your birthday isn’t for a long time, Ouma. You were lying.”

With a laugh, Kokichi pushed Kaito away. He put his hands behind his head and tried to appear visibly relaxed. “No I wasn’t,” He explained, “That’s my legal birthday, sure, but I actually celebrate on November 10th.”

Kaito gawked at him. He pocketed his handbook, struggling to come up with a response. “I- What- Why the hell would you do that?” He asked, tripping over his words. He both frustrated and curious. 

“Who knows? Maybe I have trauma surrounding my birthday that’s so tragic you’d cry if I told you, or maybe I just like fucking with people by celebrating it when they least expect it!” Kokichi shrugged, leaning back on the bench. Maybe he had given Kaito too big of a hint, but he doubted the astronaut would ever be able to find the truth in his words. He started to kick his legs. “... Or maybe I’m lying about all that. Your call.”

“Why do you need to be so cryptic? Why can’t you just give me a straight answer?” Kaito shouted. It looked like he was holding himself back from throwing another punch, and Kokichi braced himself for the impact, giggling.

“Because I’m not straight, duh,” Kokichi snickered, still dodging the question. He knew he couldn’t answer it. Any answer he gave would make his vulnerabilities glaringly obvious, and he didn’t want that. He had to keep dancing around the issue until Kaito got mad and left. “What makes you think I’d tell you? And why do you even want to know? Momota-chan, I don’t appreciate being questioned like I’m the suspect for some crime.” He pouted. “I’m innocent, you know. I’m not the one who faked my documents here.” 

Kaito but his hands in his pockets, gritting his teeth. “Look, I’m just trying to figure you out, Ouma. There’s obviously more to you than this weird act you put on. I want to know what’s going on in your head.”

Kokichi was a little taken aback. He forced out a laugh, hiding his nervousness. No way. He couldn’t let Kaito do that. He couldn’t let anyone know what was going on with him. “But why do you want to know, hm? And why do you think there’s more going on? I think you’re just desperate to feel cool and heroic by being there for the guy everyone hates. The only reason you’re certain there’s more to me than lies is because you want there to be!” He smirked. “But guess what! There’s nothing else to me, I’m a liar and nothing more. Or maybe there is more. Maybe I’ve been lying this whole time.”

“Stop that!” Kaito shouted, “I’m giving you completely undeserved kindness, so be fucking honest with me! Quit being so confusing!”

“I don’t think yelling at me is very kind, Momota-chan…” Kokichi mumbled, “In fact, I don’t think you’re being very kind at all. You hit me before I could even speak, ran after me, and now you’re demanding that I tell you what you want to hear. That’s awful mean. You’ve been nothing but mean to me since we’ve met.”

Kaito paused, frowning. He looked away. “That’s not- I don’t- I’m not being mean! Ouma, I’m trying to have a conversation with you right now. I wouldn’t be yelling if you didn’t drive me up the wall and make me yell.”

“Oh! Now you’re blaming me for your behavior!” Kokichi laughed, “Look, it’s obvious you’re struggling to pretend you care. Just admit you hate me and move on with your life.”

“I don’t hate you,” Kaito said, “I don’t hate people. I’m not like that.”

Kokichi just laughed even more, clutching his sides. “Really now? Momota-chan, you’re not even convincing yourself with that lie!” He hummed. “If you’re worried that hating me makes you less heroic, don’t. I know you’ve got a huge hero complex but it’s okay to hate me, alright? I’m a bad person. I’m evil. I’m a  _ villain _ . It’s okay for heros to hate villains, isn’t it?” 

Kaito was left speechless. Kokichi grinned. Perfect! This was going perfectly! Now that Kaito knew it was okay to hate him, he’d quit trying to be nice and Kokichi’s life would be so much easier.

“So how about you just leave. Go back to class, tell everybody you ‘took care of me’ or some bullshit. I don’t care, just get out of my face. I’d hate to resort to violence as a means of getting you to leave me alone.” 

Kokichi watched as Kaito, who was still stunned into silence, turned and walked out of the courtyard. He kept his smile up until the astronaut was gone. Then he visible deflated, slouching and looking down at his feet. He frowned. What a bother. He’d never understand why Kaito wasted his time on somebody like him, it was pointless. He didn’t want help. He didn’t want anybody to be there for him.

It was getting harder and harder to ignore the sad feeling in his gut now that he was alone. God, he was a loser. Maybe he did want somebody to comfort him. Why did he have to push everyone away? Why was he like this? He should’ve just told Kaito what was wrong. He knew he’d feel less shitty if he did, and that having a friend would make him feel less scared and awful all the time, but the idea of being vulnerable and honest was too terrifying. It wasn’t worth it. Being sincere just opened him up for attack.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, opening up DICE’s groupchat and reading the most recent message. _ “Heya boss!” _ It read,  _ “Did you hand out the invitations? We know you were super stoked to spend your birthday with your classmates, but if you got cold feet you could always have a last minute party with us instead. None of us would mind! Either way, we hope your birthday is great <3” _

Kokichi smiled as he read it. At least some people cared about him. It was just a shame he wasn’t honest with them either. He didn’t want to let anyone down by admitting that he chickened out, so he lied like always. He typed out a reply and hit send.

_ “Nishishi! Don’t worry about me, I invited them all! The party is going to be great, everyone is gonna come and celebrate with me. Thanks for helping me plan this :)” _

\---

Kokichi spent his 17th birthday alone in his dorm, crying himself to sleep.

\---

A week passed and everybody was making plans for Miu’s birthday. Kokichi sat at his desk, listening to it all and trying his best to keep his jealousy hidden. He knew it was his own fault that he was ignored and hated, but the sting of watching everyone care about Miu and talk about her in ways they never talked about him made nauseous. 

\---

Things continued like that and showed no signs of changing. Everyday, Kokichi sat idly as other people made plans, not bothering to include him. The sting never went away. It just got worse and worse, hurting him more and more. He was hoping they’d eventually realize that he was always left out. He was waiting for them to realize their mistake and ask him to join. They never did.

“Hey, Shuichi! I was thinking of having a pool party over spring break. Wanna come?” Kaito was sitting on his desk, talking to Shuichi with a goofy smile on his face. “My grandparents are gonna buy us all kinds of snacks, it’ll be great. Plus, Kaede said she was planning on showing up so if you wanna see her in a swimsuit this is your chance!” He nudged the detective playfully. 

Kokichi listened with a scowl, looking down at his phone so nobody would think he was eavesdropping. He couldn’t let anyone know. He’d die if people found him out.

Shuichi blushed, fidgeting with his sleeve. “Oh, um, that sounds great. I-I’m not a very good swimmer, but if Kaede’s there…” He trailed off and bit his lip. Then he froze, backtracking a bit. “Not that I just want to see her in a swimsuit! I-I want to spend time with her, I’m not a creep or anything! I just-”

Kaito chuckled. “Relax man, I was only teasing, no need to give yourself an aneurysm.” he reached out and ruffled Shuichi’s hair. “I’ll text all the details to the groupchat. Do you have a swimsuit?”

“Only the school issued one,” Shuichi said, “But that’s fine, isn’t it?” The bell rang and he started to put his notebooks in his backpack, ready to head home.

“Why on earth would that be fine? Shuichi, dude, wearing a school swimsuit to a party is like… not cool at all. If you wanna impress Kaede you gotta wear something that looks cool. We need to get you something new,” Kaito said as he stood up, stretching his legs.

Shuichi rolled his eyes. “Sure, whatever you say. I doubt it’s actually a big deal. You’re just looking for an excuse to go shopping.”

“You caught me,” Kaito raised his hands in defeat. “But this store I like is having a huge sale and I’ve been wanting to go for a few days now. We should go together, like, right now. I can give you a ride there.” He grinned. “I know you’re not in any clubs, so you’re free, right?”

“You’re lucky I don’t have other plans,” Shuichi said with a sigh, a fond smile on his face, “You should really quit signing people up for things.”

Kaito just laughed, leading Shuichi out of the classroom and leaving Kokichi alone. The supreme leader glared down at his phone, his eyes watery.  _ Why couldn’t he have been invited? Why didn’t Kaito ask if he wanted to come to the pool party? _ He knew the answers, but that didn’t stop him from being upset.

\---

Kokichi rinsed the shampoo out of his hair. He was fighting back tears again, mentally cursing himself for being emotional over shit he caused. He couldn’t help it, though. Being invited by Kaede had made him so  _ excited,  _ and tearing up that invitation physically hurt. He kept his head under the water, watching as all the bubbles went down the drain.  _ Don’t think about it, _ he told himself,  _ just don’t think about it. _

Ignoring the hurt didn’t fix it, though, and he felt his sadness grow and grow. He didn’t want to cry again. He had just cried. Didn’t he cry enough? This wasn’t even the worst of what he had been through, he could handle this. He just had to quit being a baby. He had to quit being stupid.

For a moment, Kokichi looked over at his razor, biting his lip and mulling things over. Then he shook his head.  _ No, he can’t do that right now.  _ His body was sore enough. If he looked like he was in too much pain, people would start asking questions, and once questions were raised it’d only be a matter of time before people found out. DICE would be disappointed in him and everybody at school would think he was pitiful. It wasn’t worth it. He looked back down at the drain and wished he could disappear down it.

He stayed like that until the water was too cold to be comfortable and left him shivering. When it was, he stood up and turned the shower off, walking out and grabbing his towel. He wrapped the fabric around himself and went up to his mirror, frowning at his reflection. It frowned back. 

“Disgusting,” Kokichi mumbled to himself, eyeing the hickies on his neck and tracing them with his fingers. “I’m gonna have to cover these up tomorrow, aren’t I? This blows.” He always hated when customers left marks. It made hiding things that much harder. Sure, it was only a matter of applying concealer and tying his scarf up higher, but it still left him more anxious than he’d otherwise be. Being found out was one of his worst fears. Then again, that didn’t really matter now, did it? He laughed bitterly

Kokichi forced a smile and stared at it, searching for flaws and finding many. It was too wide, too disingenuous, and it showed too much teeth. He went back to frowning but quickly forced another grin, trying to fix the problems he had seen in the last one. It was better this time, but it still wasn’t perfect. Nobody would believe he was happy if they saw this. He did it again and again, practicing his fake smile until it was perfect and his cheeks hurt. When he was satisfied, he brushed his hair and teeth and changed into his pajamas, walking out of the bathroom.

He navigated through all the trash in his dorm, stepping over discarded wrappers and papers and piles of clothes, and took a seat at his desk. He was tired but he didn’t plan on going to sleep right away. As much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn’t. Kaito was probably going to harass him tomorrow. He needed to be ready for that.

Kokichi pulled out one of his notebooks and started writing it in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your support so far! The next chapter should be done fairly quickly! >w< I want you all to know that I appreciate your comments more than anything! I'm glad so many people are enjoying this. Again, sorry for typos and grammar errors if there are any I don't catch everything on my own and I don't have a beta reader


	4. Whatever, tag along if you want.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter drags on a bit! I'm not too good with pacing... Warning for unhealthy eating habits. I wouldn't say it's disordered eating, but Kokichi does starve himself for personal reasons :(

Morning came far sooner than Kokichi would’ve liked, and he was disappointed to find that he had fallen asleep at his desk. With a groan, he sat up, yawning and rubbing at his eyes. “What a pain in the ass…” He muttered to himself, looking down at his notebook and skimming over what he had been writing last night. He tried to recall what he had been thinking about before he passed out last night, but it took a moment. Tiredness made his head cloudy.

“Right,” He said when he finally remembered, “Momota’s probably going to bug me later, and I gotta meet up with DICE too. Today’s gonna be a busy one.” He stood up and took a moment to stretch, his bones letting out a chorus of cracks and pops. His face scrunched up a little. It sounded gross. “Better get ready then, I don’t have all day.”

Kokichi changed into his DICE uniform, tying his scarf up a bit higher than normal to hide the hickies on his neck. He tossed his pajamas onto the floor carelessly when he was done. His room was disgusting currently, so adding to the mess wasn’t a huge deal. As long as he knew where everything was, he would be fine.

He picked his notebook up off his desk and walked over to where his coffee maker was, starting to brew a pot. His stomach grumbled, but he didn’t get anything to eat. The food he had here wasn’t for him, afterall. He didn’t let himself eat too often, and only had bits and pieces of his school lunches unless it was absolutely necessary to eat more. Plus, he figured that if he drank enough coffee it’d fill him up a bit and make the hunger subside long enough to go another day without eating. He picked a clean looking mug up off of the floor and filled it to the top.

Kokichi reached his hand into a box of stolen sugar packets and pulled five of them out, ripping them open and pouring them into his coffee. He didn’t have any creamer, since it was expensive and had to be refrigerated, so this was all he could do to make the bitter drink tolerable. He swirled it around in his hand to stir it, blew on it for a few seconds, then took a sip. 

It was hot. It tasted awful. It made his mouth burn and his skin crawl. Kokichi relished in the feeling of misery drinking it filled him with and let out a content sigh. Truely, this was what he deserved. He smiled to himself and sat down on the floor, leaning back on a pile of dirty clothes and opening up his notebook. He started reading the notes he made last night, taking sips of his coffee and mumbling to himself all the while. Every now and then, he stopped to refill his mug. 

He continued like that until he had drank his entire pot of coffee and committed his notes to memory. He stood up again, far more awake and alert, and placed his used mug back on the floor. He put his notebook back on his desk too.

Kokichi walked over to his bed and lifted his mattress up, taking all the money out from underneath it and shoving it in his back pocket. Then he put his hands on his hips. He hummed to himself. “Alright, that’s most of everything, now all that’s left is…” He trailed off and looked around the room, his eyes landing on a tote bag in the corner and some tupperware containers with ice packs on top of them. “Right, the rest of the food.”

He walked over to the corner and began stuffing the tote bag with all of the tupperware and ice packs. The tupperware was filled with parts of his school lunches from the past week that he had set aside, and other food he had managed to get his hands on like meals he had Kirumi make, snacks his teacher brought, things from the cafeteria, and all kinds of other foods. He always saved everything he could.

Once it was packed, he picked the tote bag up and grabbed his backpack too. It was still filled with what he had taken from the cafeteria on Friday. Kokichi slipped his shoes on and left the dorm, shutting the door behind himself as he walked outside.

He hummed to himself as walked, relieved to see that Kaito wasn’t around. While he probably wouldn’t be able to avoid him for the whole day, it’d be nice if he could put off talking to the astronaut until  _ after  _ his DICE meeting. That way, he wouldn’t have to go to the meeting with a headache. He wanted to start the day on a high note.

Unfortunately, the universe didn’t want him to have his way. When he turned the corner, Kaito was sitting on a bench. What a pain. Kokichi contemplated turning around and taking the long way off campus. Before he got the chance to, Kaito noticed him and stood up, waving and grinning at him. “Hey Ouma!” He greeted, walking over. “Fancy seeing you here. I didn’t think you’d be up so early.”

Kokichi scowled at him and stopped in his tracks. “You say that like you weren’t waiting for me, Momota-chan. What the hell do you want?”

“Okay, fine, you’re right. I was waiting for you,” Kaito frowned, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He had been hoping to play this off casually. “It’s just that... Ever since last night I’ve been a bit worried about you. I wanted to make sure you were doing okay, and I was hoping we could chat about things.”

“And here I thought you promised you’d act like you didn’t see anything,” Kokichi huffed, his grip on his tote bag tightening. “You never struck me as the type to break a promise. Did you hit your head or some shit? Get replaced by an android?” He couldn’t stop himself from glaring. While he knew this was inevitable, having to deal with this so early in the morning was pissing him off.  _ Why couldn’t he have seen DICE first? _

“No, nothing happened,” Kaito said, “And normally I wouldn’t break a promise, but this is different. I can’t just ignore what happened, y’know? I’m a hero. Ignoring it wouldn’t sit right with me.”

A hero, huh? God, Kaito was insufferable. Kokichi rolled his eyes. “If it doesn’t sit right with you then don’t sit down,” He deadpanned, “Either way, what happened is none of your fucking business. Drop the topic and buzz off. Don’t you have other people to bother? Like your ‘sidekicks’?”

“Maki and Shuichi are busy today. They’re with Kaede, and I didn’t feel like going with em’,” Kaito explained with a shrug, “I figured I’d hang out with you instead.”

“You can’t invite yourself like that. I oughta kill you for being so dumb,” Kokichi groaned. Then he snickered, suddenly grinning. He’d clearly have to use a different approach to get Kaito to leave. “Or maybe I won’t kill you! Maybe I’m letting you talk to me on purpose, and maybe I let you catch me last night on purpose too! It could’ve all been a staged scene… a prank! And you fell for it like the idiot you are!” He laughed. “You’re so stupid!”

Kaito peered at him, a quizzical expression on his face like he was studying Kokichi closely. He shook his head. “Nah, there’s no way that was a prank, I can tell. Quit lying to me.”

“But I can’t quit! Lying’s my whole thing!” Kokichi puffed his cheeks, pouting. “What makes you so sure it wasn’t a prank? I’ve pulled some pretty elaborate pranks in the past, so it can’t be completely out of the question.”

“Eh, it’s just a hunch,” Kaito admitted with another shrug, “But I know I’m right, even if I can’t prove it. I’ve never seen you so shaken up before…” His brows knitted together with concern. The expression overwhelmed Kokichi, and he had to look away to stay calm. “... It was too real to be a prank.”

Kokichi paused for a moment to think. He hadn’t expected Kaito to be so stubborn, and it was starting to tick him off. “I’m a really good actor! It seemed super real because I’m so talented! Plus, you can’t just invite yourself to hang out with me, it’s rude. I already have plans.”

Kaito hummed, a cheeky grin forming on his face. “Looks like you’ll have to include me in those plans, ‘cause I’m not going anywhere until we talk about what happened.”

“So you’re gonna follow me around then? Like some sort of stalker?” Kokichi tilted his head to the side, frowning when Kaito nodded. He forced fake tears to form in his eyes. “That’s so creepy! This is harassment! Momota-chan is harassing me!” He wailed, loud and shrill, hoping it’d alert anybody walking by them. “I’m being stalked by a creep! Somebody help me!”

Kaito rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Cut it out, Ouma. Nobody’s going to believe that act. Haven’t you ever read the boy who cried wolf?”

Kokichi stopped immediately, realizing Kaito was right. People were just walking by them like nothing was happening. Everybody on campus was numb to his bullshit at this point. “Well, even if nobody’s gonna help, it’s still true! You’re being a total creep! Leave me alone, you can’t follow me around!”

“If you don’t want me to follow you around, then just talk to me for a bit. It shouldn’t be that hard. I’m not asking for your life story,” Kaito said, “I just wanna check in and make sure you’re doing okay.”

“My personal life isn’t any of your concern, though! It’s all top secret! Anyone who wants to know has to die! I could have you killed for this, Momota-chan. I’m gonna have my goons hunt you down and kill you,” Kokichi threatened.

Kaito didn’t seem phased at all. “For some reason, I doubt that’ll happen. You’ve made threats like that for, like, over two years now and nobody’s died. You’re lying about all that shit, aren’t you?” He smiled as he spoke. 

Kokichi stammered uselessly for a few seconds, caught completely off guard. He glared at Kaito and pouted again. “I-I plead the fifth,” he stuttered, his annoyance growing when he realized he had been backed into a corner. He went silent and started thinking things through. He couldn’t think of any other ways to convince Kaito to leave, since Kaito was being so annoyingly stubborn, so he had to entertain other options. If he ran off, Kaito was just going to follow him. If he talked to Kaito, it’d be the literal end of the world. If he stayed here all day, he’d miss his dice meeting. Which meant that all he could do was… He sighed. “Fine, whatever, this is stupid anyway. Tag along with me if you want. I don’t care. But if you’re following me, you’re gonna make yourself useful, alright?”

Kaito’s face lit up and he jumped into the air happily. “Alright!” He beamed, chuckling. He saluted in a joking manner and grinned down at Kokichi. “What do you need me to do, Ouma?”

“Carry this,” Kokichi said, holding his tote bag out for Kaito to take. “It’s pretty heavy, but you won’t complain if you know what’s good for you.”

Kaito took the back, raising a brow. He lifted it into the air with ease. “Really?” He said sarcastically, surprised by how light it was. “This isn’t heavy at all.” He held it even higher to prove his point,

“Oh, it isn’t? Guess I lied then! Silly me!” Kokichi said, giggling. He was still pissed off, but he decided it’d be better to act like he wasn’t for now. It’d make things easier. He adjusted his backpack straps and started walking away, not bothering to wait for Kaito. “Now c’mon! We’ve got a long walk ahead of us.”

\---

Neither of them spoke for the entirety of the walk. Kokichi led Kaito down back roads and through alleys, causing Kaito to grow uneasy as their surroundings became increasingly shady and unfamiliar. When they stopped in front of a large, run-down building with no signs on it or buildings around it, Kaito started to sweat. He frowned and looked down at the supreme leader, clearing his throat before speaking. “Uh, where are we…?” He asked slowly. 

“We’re here,” Kokichi said simply, not really answering the question. He knocked on a metal door five times in a very specific pattern that Kaito didn’t recognize. After a few minutes, the door was opened by a girl. She had light brown hair tied into twin tails, and she was wearing a white uniform that very similar to Kokichi’s but more feminine. She was smiling, all bright and cheery, and she pulled Kokichi into a hug. 

“Boss! You’re here!” She chirped. She took a step back and grabbed Kokichi’s hand, starting to pull him inside. “Come on, everyone’s waiting for you!” Kokichi laughed lightly and followed here, motioning for Kaito to come with them. Kaito didn’t have any other options, so he did.

She brought them into a large room and took Kokichi to the center of it. Kaito looked around in awe. He’d never seen a place like this before. It was impressive in the weirdest way possible. Clearly, these people, whoever they were, lived here.  _ Did Kokichi live here with them? What was going on? What were they here to do?  _ His eyes scanned his surroundings curiously.

The left side of the room appeared to be a shared bedroom. There were multiple bunkbeds and dressers lined up against the wall, each of which was labeled with a hand drawn name tag. There were a few toys on the concrete floor, but aside from that it was pretty clean. Dirty clothes were discarded in a frog-shaped clothes hamper; toys were kept in a plastic toy bin. The wall had posters and drawings pinned up with care. Kaito smiled as he looked at them.

On the right side of the room, divers had been put up to section off an area, giving it the appearance of a second, closed off room. Kaito assumed it was a bathroom. On the dividers, somebody had hung up two charts. One was labeled  _ “Shower schedule” _ and the other was labeled  _ “Chore chart” _ . It was hard to believe that these kids were so organized, but kind of endearing at the same time.

The back of the room seemed to double as a kitchen and a laundry room, since there were both kitchen appliances and a washing machine. Clothes were hung up on a clothesline above the cabinets, and dirty dishes were set in the sink. The fridge had more drawings hung on it with magnets. There was a pitcher of lemonade on the counter. 

In the middle of the room, there was a shag rug with two beat-up sofas and a few plastic chairs arranged around a wooden coffee table on it. Eight kids were lounging around on the sofas and chairs, each of them wearing similar uniforms. The table was littered with papers and toys and cups and pens, and was easily the messiest area in the place. There was also an old looking television with a VHS player on top of it sitting on the floor.

Needless to say, it was a lot to take in. Kaito wondered just how long they had all been living there. It was kind of concerning, but he was glad they had a place to stay. This was clearly better than them living on the streets.  _ But was it better than them living at home? And why were they living here in the first place? How did Kokichi rope them into this? _ Questions flooded his mind, but he didn’t voice any of them. He just watched curiously as the girl pulled Kokichi over to the couches.

“Look!” She said to all of the kids on the couch, “Boss is here! He also brought somebody…” She looked over at Kaito, squinting. It was the first time she had acknowledged him. Her expression was suddenly very skeptical. Kaito waved nervously. She leaned closer to Kokichi, whispering. “... Who is he? Is he going to hurt us?”

Kokichi frowned and shook his head. “No, he won’t hurt you guys! I’d never bring anyone dangerous here! His name’s Momota-chan, and he’s from school. He’s here because I can’t figure out how to get rid of him yet, like a nasty rash.”

One of the kids on the couch, who had spikey, slicked back, blonde hair, laughed. “A rash? Like the one Yusa had a few weeks ago?”

“H-Hey! I thought we all said we wouldn’t talk about it!” A kid with short brown hair, who was apparently named Yusa, squeaked, his face red. He looked at Kokichi and frowned. “But, um, anyway… are you sure this guy won’t hurt us, boss?” He poked his fingers together, biting his lip. “You’ve talked about him punching you before…”

Kokichi frowned even more. “Yusa, don’t worry. Momota-chan won’t hurt  _ any  _ of you. He promised before we got here,” He said, glancing over at Kaito, “Isn’t that right, Momota-chan? Didn’t you promise?”

Kaito was startled for a moment, not expecting to be pulled into the conversation at all. He knew Kokichi was lying about the promise, but didn’t see any problem with going along with it. “Yep! I promised I wouldn’t hurt any of you!” He grinned at them.

The kid with short brown hair, who was apparently named Yusa, visibly relaxed at that. “Okay,” he mumbled softly.

“That wasn’t the only think Momota-chan promised!” Kokichi continued, smirking. “He also promised he’d sit down on the floor in a corner and leave us alone so we can have our meeting in peace. He’s only gonna come over here if I tell him to. That’s what he told me.” 

Kaito gawked. For a minute, he wanted to argue with Kokichi, but he realized that it’d be stupid to do so. In all honesty, he didn’t know what was going on here, and he didn’t want to argue for his right to participate in a meeting he knew nothing about. Sitting out would be the best option for him. He huffed. “Yeah, I did say that,” he muttered and, somewhat begrudgingly, he walked over to a corner and sat down.

He watched as Kokichi put his hands on his hips triumphantly and turned back to the kids on the couches, continuing to talk to them with a big smile on his face. Kaito was surprised to see him pick up a math textbook, though. He blinked.  _ What? _

“Now, I know you’re all excited to see me, but that doesn’t mean you’re gonna get out of lessons! I trust you all did your math homework,” Kokichi said, earning a collective groan from all of the kids. He just laughed. “Hey now! Don’t be like that, you’ll all be thanking me for this eventually.”

The kid with blonde hair crossed his arms. “Like hell we will!” He said, frowning, “We’re never gonna use any of this bullshit, boss. Why not teach us useful shit instead? Like how to pick locks.”

Yusa nodded. “Yeah, um, I-I wanna know how to pick locks like you do, boss… That seems more practical than math,” he agreed, “... And a lot more fun too.”

Kokichi shook his head. “Nope! Not a chance. As tempting as it is to teach you guys that instead, I’m not gonna let you guys sway me. This stuffs important. You’re not in school, so somebody has to keep your brains sharp.” He flipped open the textbook. “Anyway, today we’re gonna be going over factoring again-”

\---

As the so called “meeting” went on, Kaito continued to watch from the corner, surprised by how kind Kokichi was acting. He had never seen the supreme leader like this. At school, he had always been cruel and sadistic, but here he seemed more like a silly older brother. When he had been teaching math, he stopped to make sure everyone understood and explained things in a variety of ways, taking the lesson slowly so even the younger kids could keep up. He kept a warm smile on his face and was so friendly and sweet that, if it weren’t for his jokes and obnoxious personality, Kaito would’ve sworn he was a different person.

After the lesson, Kokichi handed out homework papers and treated the kids to a various games, letting them all win on purpose without making it obvious that he was doing so. He played rock-paper-scissors, tag, hide-and-seek, and various card games with them. Everyone seemed to be having fun. The warehouse was filled with laughter and glee. Kaito felt out of place and a bit lonely. He wondered, briefly, if this was how Kokichi felt at school everyday.

\---

“Now that all that’s over, is anyone hungry?” Kokichi asked, standing in the middle of the room again. He adjusted his scarf as he spoke. “I brought enough food for everyone, so there’s no need to be shy if you are.”

A girl with dark brown braids raised her hand, jumping up in the air. She appeared to be the youngest there. “I’m hungry!” She said, “I’m starving, actually! I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast, and we’re all out of snacks…” She pouted.

“Y’know, we’d still have snacks if you didn’t eat so many of them,” The boy with blonde hair from earlier teased, sticking his tongue out. “You’re always eating the snacks! I bet you’re the least starving out of all of us.”

The girl just pouted even more, stomping her feet. “Yuu-chan is so mean!” She whined, her hands balled into fists. She started to punch him playfully. “Say you’re sorry! Apologize for being so mean!”

The boy with blonde hair,  _ Yuu _ , laughed, rolling his eyes and ruffling the girl’s hair. “Fine, I’m sorry, Ayano,” he snorted, “No need to be such a drama queen. Anyway, boss, I’m pretty hungry too. What’d you bring?”

Kokichi picked up his backpack and tote bag, which had been left on the floor, and dumped their contents out. “Lots of stuff!” He beamed, “Feel free to treat yourself, and make sure you put all the left-overs in the fridge. We don’t want anything going to waste, do we?”

“Wouldn’t dream of wasting food, boss,” Yuu said, walking over to all the food and kneeling down by it. He started looking through it with a smile on his face. “Oh, nice, you brought the apple slices I like… thanks.” Most of the kids joined him and looked through the food too, talking amongst themselves as they did so. The only one not with them, was a boy whose hair flopped into his face. He walked over to Kokichi instead.

“Are you gonna eat any of this, boss?” He asked, cocking his head to the side and crossing his arms, “You haven’t been eating at our meetings lately. You know you’re allowed to eat, right? There’s enough food to go around, you said so yourself. Eat if you need to.”

Kokichi just shrugged the boy off, waving a hand dismissively. “Teiji, you don’t need to worry about me. I already ate!” He lied, “So just help yourself to some food, okay? It’s all good.”

“I don’t buy that,” Teiji huffed, “Look, I know things have been hard ever since you started school, but starving yourself ain’t the answer. You aren’t doing that again, are you?” 

“What? I-I wouldn’t do that again! You and Tokie already yelled at me for that, like, two years ago. I stopped, really,” Kokichi said, shaking his head and chuckling nervously, “I’m telling the truth, I ate earlier. Would I lie to you?”

Teji sighed, looking away. It was clear that he still didn’t believe Kokichi. “When’d you eat then? You made it here on time, so you couldn't have made any stops.”

“I woke up early, actually,” Kokichi lied, rocking back and forth on his heels. He smiled. “Um… Momota-chan woke me up! He wanted to have breakfast with me since he likes me so much. I’m his best friend, you know.”

Teiji raised a brow. He turned to look at Kaito, who was still sitting in the corner but was playing on his phone now. “Hey, Momota!” He called, startling the astronaut, “Can I ask you something real quick?”

Kaito looked up from his phone, visibly confused. “Uh… sure?” He said slowly, “What’s the question?”

“Did you wake Kokichi up this morning to take him out for breakfast?” Teiji asked, smirking. Kokichi’s expression turned to panic and he looked at Kaito, silently begging him to go along with the lie.

Kaito had no clue what was happening. He hadn’t been paying attention to what was going on anymore, so he didn’t know why he was being roped into Kokichi’s lies again, but he didn’t want to do something wrong so he figured he’d go along with again. He nodded. “Yep!” He said, “We went over to my place and I made us my famous pancakes.” He grinned.

Teiji had to stop his eyes from rolling. “Thanks,” he said dryly, turning back to Kokichi. He didn’t have the energy to debunk his boss’s lies anymore. “Whatever, boss, I believe you… For now. You better eat at next week's meeting.”

“Actually, Momota-chan and I decided to make our breakfasts a weekly thing, so that won’t be happening,” Kokichi said, “Now, Teiji, just trust that I’m eating and go treat yourself to some food. Oh! And before I forget, here’s the grocery money for this week.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a stack of cash and passing it to the taller boy. “Please get extra snacks for Ayano, and some chocolate for Sotaro. I’m sure it will make them happy.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a little longer than I was expecting but the next chapter shouldn't! Sorry that you guys don't get to meet all the DICE members here. You'll be properly introduced to them when Kokichi introduces Kaito to them, but for now you're stuck viewing them all from an outsiders perspective -_- I had fun writing this! :D Comments and kudos are appreciated as always


	5. Smoke break.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OK so serious warning for smoking, child abuse/like. literal murder. (not the murder of children tho! just like. murder happens), and discussions of sex work. Bet you didn't expect this chapter so soon ahaha >:)

Hours passed, and the two of them eventually left the hideout, starting to walk back to Hope’s Peak together. Kaito’s phone had died earlier, so he had no clue what time it was. He hoped it wasn’t too late. Even though he has willingly invited himself, the idea that he might’ve spent most of his day sitting on the floor doing nothing was more than a little disappointing. He looked down at Kokichi. “So, uh, who were those people?” Kaito asked, “And where were we? You never explained what we were doing.”

“I thought it was obvious,” Kokichi said as he walked, “That was my secret organization, DICE! You know, the one I’m the leader of? The reason I have my talent?” He cocked his head to the side and looked up at Kaito. “You’re a real idiot if you didn’t figure that out, Momota-chan.”

Kaito glared at him. “Hey! I’m not an idiot!” He argued, “It’s not my fault for not connecting the dots, I thought your organization had over ten thousand members. You’re always saying it does.”

Kokichi cracked up, clutching his stomach and nearly falling over as he snickered. “And you believed me?” He giggled, stumbling, “That was a lie, obviously! You should know better than to take the things I say at face value. You really are  _ stupid _ !”

“I-I’m not! Take that back!” Kaito demanded, his hands balling into fists, “Stupid people can’t be astronauts! Do you know how hard I had to study for my tests? Huh? I’m plenty smart, Ouma, quit saying that I’m not.” He crossed his arms.

Kokichi just continued to giggle, stopping in his tracks to double over in laughter, a bright grin on his face. “Stop it! You’re too funny, stop-” He wheezed, barely able to get words out between his own laughs, “Momota-chan,  _ oh my god, _ you’re a fucking riot. I’m just messing with you! Don’t be so serious it’s too funny when you are-”

Kaito blinked, and then something clicked in his head. Oh. He had been taking what Kokichi was saying at face value, which was exactly what he wasn’t supposed to do. He chuckled when he realized that, smiling. He had been so caught up in proving his own smartness that he didn’t realize Kokichi was joking around. He laughed too. “I guess I really am stupid, huh?” He hummed as he stood still, waiting for Kokichi to gather himself.

“Yeah, you totally are,” Kokichi said, standing up. He was still giggling a little, but he could walk without falling over now. “Maybe it wasn’t a joke at all! Considering how defensive you got, it could’ve been the truth after all.” He smirked. “Maybe I was lying about it being a joke.”

“You’re insufferable, you know that?” Kaito said, knowing better than to take Kokichi seriously now. “Off topic, but do you wanna go get something to eat? I’m starving, and I know you are too. You didn’t eat anything back there.”

Kokichi froze up, his cheeriness completely gone for a moment. Then he laughed again, sounding a bit nervous now. “Huh? Why would I go eat?” He asked, knowing full well he didn’t have the money to pay for food right now. He had just given all his cash to DICE. “I already ate this morning.”

Kaito frowned. “No you didn’t. You, uh, had to get me to lie about that for you, remember?” He said, unsure why Kokichi lied about that in the first place. Couldn’t he just go eat?

“Jokes on you, Momota-chan, that was a double lie! I did eat already, but Teiji didn’t believe me so I lied again and involved you,” Kokichi explained, “But I’m not hungry at all because I had a  _ huge  _ breakfast with lots of food. I’m absolutely stuffed. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat all day.”

“Why didn’t Teiji believe you?” Kaito asked, “You’re his boss, right? Shouldn’t he trust what you say? Or is there, like, some kind of history with you and lying about eating.” It was a completely random guess, and a shot in the dark too, so Kaito wasn’t expecting to be remotely right. But, judging by the way Kokichi froze up again and sputtered out nonsense, he figured he was spot on. “Look, I won’t pry, but it’s not a big deal. I’ll pay!”

Kokichi looked up at him, his expression unreadable. “You’ll pay?” He asked skeptically, squinting at him. “And you won’t, like, force me to pay you back or anything, right?”

Kaito shook his head. “Of course not, dude, that’d be rude as shit. I’m the one inviting you! It only makes sense that I’d pay,” He said, “I know a really good curry place around here. Let’s go.”

“Alright,” Kokichi said, “B-But only because you’re paying and I don’t wanna make you feel bad! I totally ate this morning.” He pouted.

\---

Soon enough they were seated at the restaurant and looking at their menus. Kaito was looking at the photos, trying to see what looked the tastiest, and Kokichi was looking at the prices, trying to see what the cheapest option was. The supreme leader frowned as he read over everything. “This place is really expensive…” He mumbled, more to himself than to Kaito.

“Not really,” Kaito said, looking at him, “And even if it was, I’m the one paying. You don’t have to worry about how much things cost.”

Kokichi huffed. “Yes I do! I don’t wanna be a burden, Momota-chan, I can’t have you spending too much money on me,” He said, “Plus, how are you even paying? Last time I checked you didn’t have a job.”

“I’m using the grant money Hope’s Peak gives us,” Kaito said with a grin, chuckling. He was worried what Kokichi said about being a burden but, since he didn’t know what to say, he didn’t comment on it.

Kokichi’s jaw dropped and he stared at him, completely dumbfounded. “You’d use your grant money on something so stupid?” He asked, shocked.

“Well, what else would I use it on? I can’t really go space right now, so it’s just pocket money while I’m waiting for that. I use it to buy food and other shit,” Kaito explained, “What do you use your grant money on?”

“Oh, uh, I use it to like… Pay for utilities... DICE needs to have water and electricity and all that stuff, and it’s not exactly cheap. Nine people use a lot of resources,” Kokichi said, looking back down at the menu.

Kaito hummed. “That’s really thoughtful of you, Ouma, I always figured you used your grant money on, like, evil projects or something. I dunno,” he said, shrugging, “I think I’m gonna get some spicy curry with chicken.”

“I’ll have that too,” Kokichi decided, ignoring the first half of what Kaito said. “It sounds good. Or does it? Hm…” 

\---

The food came fairly quickly after they ordered, and the two of them ended up sitting in awkward silence as they ate. Kaito shifted around in his chair. “So, you’re close with everyone in DICE, huh?” He said, trying to strike up a conversation. He couldn’t stand this quietness. “Are they your friends?”

“They’re my family,” Kokichi answered, poking at his food. He still felt bad for forcing Kaito to buy this for him. “We’re as close as close gets. I love them all.”

Kaito smiled. “That’s sweet,” He said, eating a forkful of food and then continuing to talk with his mouth full. “It’s like a, uh, found family situation, right? Like in movies?”

“They’re my  _ real  _ family,” Kokichi corrected, “I don’t know what movies you’ve seen, but we definitely go beyond the found family trope. We’re just family. End of story.”

“But what about your actual real family?” Kaito asked, tilting his head to the side, “Like, y’know, parents and stuff. Calling DICE your family discounts them, doesn’t it?”

Kokichi frowned, taking a bite of his food. “No. That family doesn’t exist. DICE is my real family, Momota-chan.  _ End of fucking story. _ ”

Kaito winced.  _ Damn _ . He must’ve struck a nerve or something. “I wasn’t trying to say they weren’t family- I just- Uh- I’m trying to make conversation, Ouma, I was wondering about your relatives.”

“Well, I’m not going to talk about my relatives, since they don’t exist. I plead the fifth.” Kokichi ate another larger bite of his food, effectively shutting himself up.

“The fifth amendment doesn’t exist here…” Kaito mumbled, “We’re in Japan, not America.” Kokichi didn’t say anything, he just kept stuffing his mouth full of food, refusing to even look at Kaito.

Kaito sighed.  _ What did he do wrong? _

\---

Kokichi locked the door to his room and pressed his back against it, clasping his hands over his mouth to conceal the sounds of his ragged breathing. His eyes were wide. His body was shaking. He had never felt more scared in his life. Through the door, he could hear muffled screams, and he silently prayed to whatever deity was up there that he wouldn’t have to hear his own next.

The screaming suddenly stopped. Something hit the other side of the door, causing a dull thud to resound, and it was followed by a dragging sound as whatever it was slowly slid to the floor. Kokichi shivered when he felt liquid on his feet. He looked down and, to his horror, saw blood seeping in from the gap at the bottom of the door. It pooled around his feet and stained the wooden floorboards. Kokichi barely resisted the urge to vomit.

He felt a knock on the door, and he froze up even more, holding his breath and struggling to stay silent. “Kokichi?” His dad called through the door. The knocks got even louder. “Kokichi, kid, I know you’re in there. Unlock the door and open up. Your old man just wants to talk!” There was a dry laugh. “I know you’re probably worried, but you don’t need to be, ‘cause you’re safe. I’m not gonna kill you. Just let me in.”

Kokichi shook his head, tears bubbling up in his eyes and started to stream down his face. He fought back sobs. He didn’t want to let his dad in. He didn’t want to die. Blood continued to pool at his feet, the puddle of red liquid getting bigger and bigger with each passing second. He tried to ignore how cold it felt to be standing in his own mother’s blood, the way it sent a chill up his spine and froze him to his core.

He was ten years old, and he was terrified of his father.

\---

It was dark by the time they left the restaurant. Kokichi was still refusing to speak, which made things awkward. The two of them started walking back to the school again.

“Do you smoke?” Kaito asked suddenly, breaking the silence between them. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket and waved it around. “I don’t wanna pressure you into doing anything, but I’m craving a cig right now. A smoke break sounds nice.” 

Kokichi raised a brow at that. “I figured somebody like you would be against smoking and shit like that,” He said, before nodding, “But I’ve smoked before, I just try not to make a habit out of it.” He put his hands behind his head, humming. “A supreme leader has to be able to breathe, you know, can’t go dying of lung cancer. I’ve got too much to live for.” That’s a lie.

Kaito shrugged. “Even heroes have vices,” he explained, “I don’t really tell people about this one, though. Not even my sidekicks. So keep it a secret, alright? The last thing I need is all of Hope’s Peak knowing I’ve got a nicotine addiction.” 

“Wow! I can’t believe Momota-chan is trusting me with top-secret information about his personal life!” Kokichi giggled, “You do know that’s a mistake, right? I’m gonna end up telling everyone in our class, and I might even tell your grandparents too! I’m evil, sharing secrets is one of my many obligations.”

“Nah, you’re not gonna tell everyone, ‘cause I’ve got personal info on you too. Want the whole class to know where DICE’s headquarters are located? Want them all to know what you get up to in your freetime?” Kaito taunted, snickering.

Kokichi gasped, bringing a hand to his chest and looking up at Kaito, shock written all over his features. “You’d do that? Seriously? You’re telling me that Kaito Momota, luminary of the stars, the hero of Hope’s Peak, would stoop to my level and do something as evil as sharing secrets?” He sighed. “Maybe Shirogane is right… I’m a bad influence on you.” 

Kaito laughed, grinning down at Kokichi. “Maybe so, or maybe I’ve always been like this. Who knows,” he said, purposefully talking how the supreme leader normally did, “But do you wanna go smoke or not?”

“What’s your game?” Kokichi shot back, not giving a real answer, “Cigarettes aren’t cheap. You’ve gotta have a reason to offer me one too. If you just wanted to smoke, you could’ve done it alone.”

“Does there have to be a reason?” Kaito huffed, “Fine, though, you saw right through me. You’re as perceptive as ever, Ouma.” He looked down at the shorter boy and smiled. “Smoking always calms me down, so I was thinking that, if you smoked too, you might open up a little easier. I still have a mission, afterall. I wanna get you to talk.”

Kokichi crossed his arms. “Well I’m not gonna talk! What you saw was some very personal stuff, and you’re not entitled to knowing what went on or what’s going on. I’ve told you twice already, Momota-chan, I plead the fifth.”

“And I told you we were in japan,” Kaito said, frowning, “Look, you don’t need to tell me all the details. I don’t need to know everything. Just, like, tell me enough so I can know you’re safe. I don’t wanna spend another night worrying about you instead of sleeping.”

“You… had trouble sleeping because of me…?” Kokichi asked slowly. When Kaito nodded, he looked away and cursed under his breath, biting his thumb.  _ People weren’t supposed to be worried about him! That went against his whole plan! Dammit! _ He looked back at Kaito. “Fine, whatever, let’s go smoke. I’ll tell you enough to get you to piss off.”

Kaito blinked. He hadn’t expected Kokichi to relent, and was a little caught off guard as a result, but he quickly grinned and nodded at the smaller boy, his face bright. “Alright!” He beamed, starting to walk towards a nearby park, “You won’t regret this, I swear.”

Kokichi rolled his eyes and followed behind him, not nearly as enthused as Kaito. “If I’m gonna be honest, I’m already regretting this…” He muttered, “... Or maybe I’m not! I could be lying. I might be super excited to talk about my personal issues, and super glad you asked!” His expression said otherwise.

“You can quit with the lying thing, you know,” Kaito said as he led Kokichi through the park and over to a bench. He sat down and patted the spot next to him. “That’s, like, a defense mechanism, right? I’m not gonna hurt you, so just be honest.”

“It’s my way of life, actually,” Kokichi corrected. He hesitated for a moment, then sat down next to Kaito, looking down at his lap. He puffed his cheeks. “I don’t tell you to give up on acting like a hero even though I think it’s  _ totally  _ stupid. So don’t tell me to give up my whole shtick either, it’s rude.”

Kaito frowned, pulling a cigarette out of his pack and lighting it up. He passed it to Kokichi. “Being a hero isn’t stupid,” He insisted, “It’s admirable!”

Kokichi took it and mumbled his thanks. “You keep telling yourself that,” He snorted, going silent afterward and taking a long drag off his cigarette. He exhaled slowly, watching the smoke rise into the air, twisting and turning and curling up before disappearing altogether._ How pretty, _he thought.

Kaito lit a cigarette for himself too, and opted to stay silent as he started to smoke, shutting his eyes and just enjoying the feeling of it filling his lungs. 

The two of them stayed like that for awhile, wordlessly smoking next to each other in the middle of some park. Occasionally, Kaito would spare a glance at Kokichi, taking in the sight of the smaller boy. He looked different like this, with smoke billowing from his lips and his eyes half shut. Something about his expression was softer than normal, and his act seemed less forced. He seemed  _ human _ . It was oddly captivating to Kaito because, even around DICE, kokichi had seemed like he wasn’t being himself and, while Kaito still didn’t know who Kokichi really was, it was interesting to see a rare glimpse of him without all the fakeness.

“It’s rude to stare, you know,” Kokichi said after a while, a playful smile toying at his lips, “You look like one of my clients right now. Do you see something you like or some shit?” He snickered, pressing his cigarette to his lips again.

Kaito felt his face heat up. “I-I wasn’t staring,” He lied, “I was just zoning out and I happened to be looking at you!” He forced himself to look away, and stared at a random tree instead, his brows furrowing. “... and what do you mean ‘client’?”

Kokichi shrugged. “You wanted to know what you saw, right? You caught me with one of my clients,” He explained, “Now, that guy was way worse than most of my clients, but he was still a paying customer.” He paused. “... Even if he tried to get away without paying.”

“Customer? So like, he…” Kaito trailed off, not wanting to say it. He had figured it out last night, but hearing it from Kokichi made him feel a little sick. He made a vague gesture with his free hand. “... Y’know?”

“Yeah, he did. That’s part of the deal, Kaito. All of my clients do that sort of stuff with me,” Kokichi said, sounding entirely too laid back about this for Kaito’s tastes, “That’s what sex work is. I feel like it should be obvious that we had sex.”

Kaito frowned, his gaze still fixed on the tree. He had always been one of those people who thought sex was an intimate act that should be done only with people you love. He couldn’t understand Kokichi’s indifference to what he was putting himself through. “Does it hurt to put yourself through that?” He asked, “Like, you were crying. Is it always like that? Do you always end up miserable afterwards?”

“No, it’s usually just kind of boring. Most of my clients aren’t monsters. They do their thing, they pay, they leave,” Kokichi explained, “To me, It’s like any other shitty job. It kind of sucks, but I get paid well, so why complain? The only difference is the kind of labor I’m doing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure some people love this line of work, but I don’t particularly enjoy having sex with weird, old men so it’s just kind of… boring.” He mirrored Kaito’s vague gesture from earlier, but did it with the hand holding his cigarette, so smoke trailed behind him as he explained. “There are bad customers sometimes, and sometimes clients do things I’m not super happy with… but that’s just how the world works. It’d be the same if I was a cashier or some shit, yeah?”

“Isn’t it fucked up, though?” Kaito asked, still not understanding where Kokichi was coming from, “You’re, like, selling your body and you’re still in highschool. Doesn’t that bother you?”

Kokichi shrugged again. “Yeah, it’s a little fucked up that I have to do this, but I can’t change the way the world works, so I don’t let it get to me. I’ve already got a lot of stuff going on in my head… any negative side effects of sex work are just icing on the cake. Even if I stopped, my life would still be shit, so I don’t care too much.” He turned to look at Kaito. “Does it bother  _ you _ ?” he asked, somewhat condescendingly, “I mean, if it does bother you, rethink some things, Momota-chan. This is my shit. Don’t get caught up in it.”

Before Kaito could answer, Kokichi stood up and tossed his cigarette butt onto the ground, stomping on it. “I’m gonna head back to the dorms. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” He walked away, leaving Kaito alone to process everything they had just talked about. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter! I worked on it nonstop for all of you *blows kiss* <3 as always comments and kudos are appreciated, I'll see you in the next one! I'm very proud of the scene where kaito and kokichi are smoking it up and chatting and the bit before it too


	6. Can I copy your homework?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SORRY THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG! ^^;; I had college applications and stuff to do, and was super busy as a result. I swear the next chapter won't take this long. No warnings for this chapter :D!

Kaito looked down at the orange he was holding in his hands and he started to peel it, glancing over and Maki and Shuichi who were walking alongside him. The three of them were making their way to class that morning a bit earlier than they normally did. Kaito yawned, eating an orange slice and then starting to talk with his mouth full. “Hey Maki Roll,” He began, “Do you wanna do me a favor? It’s nothing big, I promise. Just a small little something.”

She shot him an incredulous look, her eyes squinting and her brows furrowing. “... Depends on what it is,” She said slowly, sounding somewhat suspicious. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Kaito, far from it actually, but half of the time when the astronaut asked for favors they were dumb and pointless, and she wasn’t too keen on agreeing to wrap herself up in his stupidity before she even knew what he was asking for.

“Can you let me copy off of your homework when we get to the classroom?” Kaito asked. He smiled a bit nervously, offering Maki a hopeful smile. “I got a bit preoccupied and, uh, kind of sort of forgot to do it.”

Maki scoffed and shook her head. “No,” She said firmly, “No way. You had plenty of time to do it over the weekend regardless of what you were up to, and I’m not about to risk getting in trouble because of your forgetfulness. You should’ve done it yourself.”

“But you don’t understand! I actually really need to copy off of you, seriously. Please just let me, it’s important,” Kaito implored, his facial expression slowly turning more and more desperate. He shoved an orange slice into his mouth and damn near pouted, frowning at Maki.

“What are you going on about?” Maki questioned, raising a brow, “How could this possibly be more important than all the other times you’ve forgotten your work and tried to steal mine?”

“It wasn’t stealing,” Kaito stressed, “You’re blowing it all out of proportion. Anyway. It’s different this time, I swear. Just let me explain, okay? It’s like…” He trailed off and made an undecipherable gesture with his hand, nearly dropping his orange in the process. “It’s super early in the year, right? And this is our first assignment, you know?” He paused and waited for Maki to nod. When she did, he continued to speak. “And, on top of that, people already think I’m a bit stupid, so I’ll look like a _ total _ dumbass if I don’t turn this in and I can’t have that! I’m not a dumbass and I don’t want to look like one, so it’s super important and-”

Maki cut Kaito off all of the sudden, glaring at him. “You _ are _ a total dum bass,” She huffed, “There’s no point in trying to do damage control, everybody already knows it. Just take this L and turn in nothing.”

Normally, Kaito would argue with Maki and try to make her take that back, since he hated when people called him dumb, but he was in no place to be making demands so he simply clasped his hands together, tightly holding his orange between them, and bowed his head. “But Maki, please, this is life or death!”

“Then die,” Maki shot back, expression dark. She crossed her arms and looked away from Kaito, starting to walk faster so that she was ahead of both him and Shuichi, a few feet of distance now between them. 

Kaito sighed and slumped his shoulders, keeping his head hung low and he continued to trudge forward and sulk, wordlessly eating the rest of his orange. He stayed like that until they all entered the school building. When they did, he suddenly perked up, turning to look at Shuichi and smiling again. “Hey Shuichi, you know how you’re my favorite sidekick?” He asked as they made their way through the halls, “And how you’re super smart too…?”

“If you’re trying to convince me to let you copy off of my work, it’s not going to happen,” Shuichi said but, unlike Maki, his tone and expression were sympathetic. He walked up to the classroom door and held it open for Maki and Kaito. “I don’t want to be mean, but you did have plenty of time to do it this weekend,” He continued, “And our writing styles are totally different too. Mrs. Tsukinose would be able to tell immediately.”

Kaito threw his head back and groaned as he entered the classroom, starting to get fed up with this seemingly fruitless quest to get the answers to his homework. His sidekicks, who were normally so helpful, were leaving him to die right now. It was frustrating. “But Shuichi, I’d change the answers up a bit so nobody would be able to tell! Please just let me-” He shut his mouth when his eyes landed on Kokichi, the only other person in the classroom. His face lit up as he got an idea. “Never mind.” He waved Shuichi off dismissively and threw his orange peels away in the trash, starting to cross the room.

Kokichi, who was sitting at his desk and playing on his phone absentmindedly, ignoring Kaito like nothing had happened between them. He looked up when he saw Kaito approaching, realizing he couldn’t keep ignoring the astronaut. He rolled his eyes. _ Great, _ he thought, _ just who I wanted to talk to. _ He forced a smile and sat up properly, waving at Kaito. “Hiya Momota-chan!” He chirped, “Do you need something?”

“Hey Ouma,” Kaito said, sitting down at his own desk but facing backwards so he could look at Kokichi. He shot the smaller boy a toothy grin. “Actually, I kind of do need something. Do you mind doing me a favor? I swear it’s nothing big, I just need some help with something/”

Behind his forced smile, Kokichi was gritting his teeth, his eye twitching as he struggled to conceal his annoyance. “Why on earth would I do something for you?” He asked, his tone somewhere between hostile and mocking, “We’re not exactly on good terms. You must’ve hit your head or something last night if you think I’m gonna help you with shit.”

From across the room, Maki scowled, turning to Shuichi. “You can tell he’s desperate if he’s stooping as low as asking that asshole for the answers,” She cringed, her distaste for Kokichi more than apparent, “Since when would he even think of that? He hates talking to Ouma just as much as we do.” She bit her lip.

Nodding, Shuichi frowned, his gaze fixed on Kaito and Kokichi. “Maybe we should just let him copy off of us?” He suggested, fully aware of the fact that Kaito talking to Kokichi was setting Maki off, and hating to see her so angered. “That way he doesn’t have to uh-” He gestured to the two of them.”- Y’know.”

Maki shook her head. She puffed her cheeks and looked away, fidgeting with one of her pigtails. “No, we can’t do that. Kaito needs to learn that he can’t rely on us to do his homework for him. He’s been doing this for what, three years now? We can’t let him get away with it again, or he’s never going to do his work on his own.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Shuichi said, sighing and nodding again, “Still, though, you never know what messed up thing Ouma’s gonna try and get him to do in exchange. You know how Ouma is.”

“I won’t let that brat try anything,” Maki declared, biting on her lip even harder. She glared at Kaito and Kokichi for a moment, but just sighed too, starting to take her bag off of her shoulders. “Well, whatever, all we can do is watch this whole thing play out and deal with it later. I’m going to take my seat. You should too.” She gave Shuichi a pointed look and then started walking off.

Shuichi blinked. “Oh, uh- Right-” He stammered for a moment, not expecting Maki to drop the topic so easily. He went over and took his seat next to Kaito, who was still talking to Kokichi while the supreme leader openly glared at him.

“-So, Ouma, basically what I’m trying to ask is… Did you do the homework this weekend?” Kaito asked, leaning back in his chair as he spoke, still grinning.

Kokichi tilted his head to the side and hummed, glare softening for just a moment as he shut his eyes. “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. Either way, it’s not really your business,” He drawled, pausing for a moment. “Why the hell are you asking anyway? You should’ve done the homework on your own, quit talking to me about it like we’re friends. Your voice is giving me a headache so just leave me alone already.” He waved his hand around like he was trying to shoo Kaito away.

Kaito groaned, starting to feel frustrated again. The one flaw with his grand plan to get the answers from Kokichi was the fact that talking to Kokichi was still a pain in the ass, even after everything. He had thought that maybe, just maybe, since they were a little closer now Kokichi would quit it with his weird act, but he had no such luck. “C’mon man, just give me a straight answer, this is important!” Kaito huffed.

“I’m afraid I can’t give you a straight answer, Momota-chan, we all know how gay I am,” Kokichi chuckled, “Why are you still talking to me? I told you to quit. Go harass your shitty little sidekick harem instead.”

“I already did ask them about this,” Kaito sighed, “Please just tell me if you did the homework or not. I need to know.”

Kokichi giggled. “I’m not telling you!” He practically sang, sounding like an ornery little child, “Tell you what, Momota-chan, maybe if you tell me what you need and why you’re asking, I’ll tell you if I did the work or not. Then, after that, you leave me alone forever and ever. How’s that?”

Frowning, Kaito shrugged. “I mean, half of that is fine, but I’m not about to leave you alone, Ouma. Not after-” He was cut off by Kokichi suddenly kicking his chair and nearly sending him toppling to the floor. Kaito caught himself on his desk and glared at Kokichi. “Hey! I’m trying to be nice!” Kokichi just stuck his tongue out at him, and Kaito frowned even more, grumbling and readjusting his chair, still sitting backwards but no longer leaning back. “Anyway, the reason I’m asking whether or not you did it is because I was wondering if I could uh…” He trailed off and looked away. “... Copy off of you?

“What makes you think I’d let you do that? I’m a smart guy, Momota-chan, my genius answers are mine and mine alone.” Kokichi opened up one eye to look at Kaito and chuckled. “Assuming I even answered things, of course. I still haven’t said if I’ve done the homework or not.”

“Well have you?” Kaito asked, sounding more and more annoyed with every second that passed. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with this shit, but he had no other choice. “Just tell me whether or not you did it. I meant it when I said this was important, seriously.”

Kokichi opened up both of his eyes and sat up fully, humming and seeming to think things over. “And I meant it when I said I might’ve done it, and I was also super serious when I asked you what in the world made you think I’d let you copy off of me.”

Kaito bit back another groan, starting to fidget in an attempt to make his frustration die down. “Well, y’know, since we’re friends and all I figured you’d-”

“Friends?!” Kokichi barked out a loud laugh suddenly, slamming a hand on his desk and nearly doubling over in a fit of giggles. Unlike his laughter from the other day, though, this was clearly forced and watching the display made Kaito uncomfortable. Now that he had seen Kokichi being genuinely happy, seeing him like this left a sick feeling in his stomach. Kokichi just continued to laugh, though, wiping a tear away. “Oh, Momota-chan, you’re so funny! So fucking funny!” He sighed, calming down just a bit and sitting up again, a huge smile plastered on his face. “Surely you joke, surely you jest! We’re not friends at all. Don’t lie to me in order to get my answers. Lying is _ my _ job.” 

Unsure how to process the other’s words, Kaito sputtered uselessly for a bit. “But- We- I-” He stammered, his frustration almost leaving him completely and being replaced by confusion and something akin to disappointment. Wasn’t he telling the truth? Weren’t he and Kokichi friends now? They had hung out and grown closer and everything, that made them friends, right? He frowned.

Before Kaito could come up with something to say, Shuichi piped up. “Don’t let him trick you, Ouma, he doesn’t think you’re his friend. He just wants to be able to turn in the work he didn’t do.” He gave Ouma a look that seemed to say ‘Kaito would never be your friend’.

“He’d never even talk to you if he didn’t get something out of it,” Maki chimed in from across the room, not bothering to look up from her notebook, “You’re too much of an asshole for that. Kaito hates your guts.”

Kokichi scowled, covering his ears and scrunching his face up. A look of genuine hurt flashed across his face for just a moment, but he quickly covered it up with forced, over dramatic tears. “How cruel!” He wailed, all loud and shrill, trying to annoy everyone, “You’d pretend to be friends with the most hated person in the school just to copy off of him? Awful, Momota-chan, that’s so awful. You’re so mean!” He continued to fake sobs, masking his real sadness with an overblown act, hoping nobody would see through it. “You made me get my hopes up, you monster! You’re breaking my heart!”

Kaito felt something inside of him ache, empathy tugging at him and nearly overwhelming him, but he ignored it in favor of trying to make Kokichi shut up; the smaller boy’s wailing was grating on his ears and making it hard to think. He wouldn’t be surprised if they started to bleed. “Quit that!” He barked, hands balled up into fists. “Just- Tell me whether or not I can copy off of you, alright? No need to do all that.” He sighed, feeling tired. This was just all too much. This weird combination of frustration and confusion and sympathy and sadness wearing him down and making him want to go back to his dorm and pass out.

“Hm…” Kokichi brought a hand to his chin and hummed in thought, leaning his head back and crunching some numbers in his head, in deep thought. If he played his cards right here, he could get Kaito to leave him alone forever, that way he’d never have to feel let down or hurt again. He smirked and spoke up, suddenly looking far more menacing than he had been. “I’m not sure whether or not I’d let you copy off of me, though,” He snickered, an edge of danger in his voice, “Tell _ me _ how badly you need my answers.”

Fully aware that Kokichi was setting a trap, but still wanting the answers enough to fall for it, Kaito took a breath and looked at the smaller boy. He figured that he might as well go along with whatever Kokichi was scheming, since he didn’t have much to lose, right? He needed the answers, and Kokichi would give them to him if he did whatever this was. “I need them a lot, seriously. Like I told you, it’s important. I don’t want to look like a dumbass and I don’t want to let Mrs. Tsukinose down either, so please just let me copy off of you, Ouma.”

Kokichi giggled, tilting his head to the side and humming again, an uncaring expression on his face. Despite being shorter than Kaito, he seemed to be looking down at him. “I don’t know if it sounds like you really need my answers. You’re not being very convincing.”

“But I said please and everything!” Kaito huffed, glaring at Kokichi, “What part of that wasn’t convincing? I said I needed it, said it was serious, explained why, and all that shit. How on earth could I be more convincing?!”

“Maybe convincing wasn’t the right word to use. You didn’t seem… _ desperate _enough,” Kokichi said simply, like it was obvious. “I got an idea Momota-chan! How about you get on your hands and knees and beg like a dog? Be a shameless bitch just like Iruma and then I might be convinced.” He snickered as he spoke, knowing that what he was saying would make Kaito’s blood boil, hoping to get a rise out of him so that he’d get mad. That way, things would go back to being how they used to be. He didn’t even expect Kaito to do what he said. This was simply an attempt to anger him.

It worked. Kaito’s face went red and he glared at Kokichi. “There’s no way I’m doing that!” He barked, tightening his fists and barely holding himself back from slamming them down on his desk. “That shit’s embarressing, why would you even think about suggesting that?! Fuck you!”

“Wouldn’t you like to,” Kokichi chuckled, still smirking, “Why so mad, hm? You want to copy my work, right? If you really did, you’d beg like a fucking dog.”

“Like hell I would,” Kaito huffed, “Ouma, c’mon, don’t be such a dick. Just let me copy your work.” He grit his teeth. “_ Please _.”

Kokichi shook his head and crossed his arms. “Nope, that’s not enough, Momota-chan. If you want it, you have to beg like I told you to. Hurry up before I change my mind.”

Kaito glared at him for a little longer, and then he bit his lip and looked away, brows knitting together as he thought it all over. _ Maybe I should just swallow his pride and do it _, he thought. This was way too extreme of a thing to be doing for something as small as homework, but it wasn’t even about the homework anymore. It was about getting what he wanted from Kokichi to prove to himself that it was possible. As humiliating as it would be to do this, he was already in too deep, and there were only four people in the room. It wasn’t like the whole class would be witnessing him like this. He sighed, slumping his shoulders once more and staring down at his desk, hesitating. Then he realized that doing this might make Kokichi like him more, and that was all he needed to rationalize everything to himself. “Whatever,” He muttered, slowly rising to his feet.

Shuichi gave him a worried look from where he was sitting. “Kaito…” He mumbled slowly, concerned, “Come on, don’t tell me you’re actually going to…” He trailed off and, before he could say anything, Kaito dropped to the floor, bowing in front of Kokichi, who burst into another fit of laughs at the sight.

“Oh my god, you actually did it!” Kokichi cackled, clutching at his stomach, “This is so good! Now beg, Momota-chan! Beg!”

Normally, Kaito wouldn’t be caught dead in a position like this, since he considered himself to be too prideful, but there was no way he could turn back now. He had to go through with his. He gulped and gritted his teeth, his eyes squeezed shut and embarrassment washed over him. “Please let me copy your homework, Ouma,” He begged, having to force the words out of his mouth, his face felt all hot and sweaty as he spoke. This was humiliating. He knew it was going to be bad, but he didn’t think it was going to be _ this _bad. Going back to his dorm and passing out for the rest of the day was sounding more and more appealing. 

Kokichi laughed even more, practically collapsed on his desk, kicking at the air as he cackled manically. “Stop it, _ stop it _, my stomach hurts, this is too fucking funny!” He wheezed, struggling to get the words out between his laughs, “Get up! I can’t take it anymore, oh my god-”

Without saying anything, Kaito stood up and took his seat again, staring at his hands since he couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact with anyone. He still felt too embarrassed to do so. He puffed his cheeks and stayed silent for a bit. “So, about your answers…?” He asked.

“Oh, those?” Kokichi gave Kaito a shit-eating grin, leaning back in his chair, “Well, I never said if I did my homework or not, and the truth is…” He trailed off, making a vague gesture and giggling. “I didn’t do it either. You begged for nothing.” 

_ Of fucking course, _ Kaito thought bitterly, _ why am I even surprised? _He turned around in his chair and faced the front of the room, waiting for class to start and watching as everyone else slowly filed into the classroom and took their seats, chatting amongst themselves as they waited for the teacher.

\---

When class finally did start, Mrs. Tsukinose began by asking everyone to pass their homework to the front of the room. Kokichi pulled a completely finished paper out of one of his folders and handed it to Kaito. “Pass it on up for me please, Momota-chan.” He smirked. “Before you even ask, I lied about not doing it. I just felt like fucking with you.”

\---

Later that day Kaito, Shuichi, and Maki were all sitting together at lunch. By now, Kaito had pretty much recovered from this morning, no longer feeling as embarrassed or drained, but that didn’t stop him from thinking about Kokichi, wanting to know what had been going through his head. What Shuichi and Maki said earlier had really seemed to hurt him. Kokichi’s pained expression flashed in Kaito’s mind every time he closed his eyes. Why did those words upset him so much? And was he still upset? Those thoughts and more echoed through his head. He picked at his rice idly and looked around the cafeteria, his eyes landing on Kokichi, and an emotion he couldn’t quite describe filling him when he saw that the supreme leader was sitting by himself in the back corner.

“Do you think Ouma gets lonely back there?” He asked suddenly, his gaze flicking between Maki and Shuichi, “I’ve never really thought about it before, but he’s been sitting all alone since we were first years. That can’t be fun for him.”

Maki took an angry bite of her food, glancing over at Kokichi for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she looked back at Kaito. “Who cares? Being alone is what he deserves,” She practically spat, “He’s an asshole. I wouldn’t sit with him if my life depended on it.”

Kaito frowned. He’d also never given much thought to how much Maki and Shuichi hated Kokichi, but now that he was letting himself worry about him, he couldn’t help but feel bad hearing them say such mean things. Sure, Kokichi kind of had it coming, considering the way he acted, but still… Kaito sighed. “Don’t say that-”

“Don’t defend him,” Maki shot back, glaring, “Don’t forget what he did to me and don’t forget what he did to you either. You’re lucky I didn’t try to kill him this morning. I know you feel threatened by him right now, but you don’t have to act like he’s a good person all of the sudden. He humiliated you. It’s okay to hate him. In fact, you _ should _hate him."

Shuichi nodded. “I mean, I wouldn’t go as far as saying you should _ hate _him but… don’t go developing Stockholm syndrome on us or something like that,” He chuckled, trying to make a joke to lighten the mood, “Besides, I’m sure Ouma prefers sitting alone. He doesn’t like anyone in our class, you know. He’s said so himself.” He took a bite of his food. “He hates all of us.”

“Yeah, but I just…” Kaito trailed off and looked down at his rice, poking at it some more before shoving a forkful into his mouth and frowning even more. “Nevermind, it’s nothing.” He furrowed his brows and went back to thinking in silence, deciding that he should try and talk to Kokichi about things again. 

\---

After school, Kaito noticed Kokichi alone in the hallway. Now’s my chance! He walked up to the smaller boy, grinning and waving awkwardly, still having trouble making eye contact because of this morning. He cleared his throat. 

“Uh, hey Ouma,” he said, voice cracking. He looked away. “Do you have time to like… chat?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm SO sorry this took so long, and I'm also so sorry if this chapter wasn't worth the wait at all. I'll admit, it's lowkey filler haha >~<;; I'm not 100% happy with it, but if I worked on it until I was then I'd never post it lmao but um!!!! The next chapter is gonna be better than this one, this ones just kinda silly haha hehe and also causes a bit of a domino effect for some things that happen next chapter ;w; anyway as always comments and kudos are appreciated! hope ur all having a good day


	7. Somebody will push you away.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes when Kokichi backs himself into a corner he picks up a shovel and starts digging

The moment he heard Kaito’s Voice, Kokichi whipped his head around, his eyes widening in shock as he gawked at him, mouth hanging open dumbly. He took a step back. Then another. The palms of his hands started to sweat, and he barely resisted the urge to either curl in on himself and hide or run away and never come back.  _ Why the fuck was Kaito talking to him? Hadn’t his actions earlier scared him off? _ They definitely should’ve, and he had been hoping they would’ve. He needed Kaito to be scared off. If Kaito kept trying to talk to him like this it’d ruin all the plans he had for this year. He couldn’t have somebody befriending him or stopping him or anything like that. He just couldn’t. He had a plan and he-

He sucked in a shaky breath, bringing his hand up to his mouth and biting down on his thumb.  _ I’ve been quiet for way too long, _ Kokichi realized Idly, _ I need to say something, anything.  _ He furrowed his brows and tried to think of the right words to say, searching for something that would reveal next to nothing about himself but still scare Kaito off. Nothing came to mind. Every time he tried, Kokichi ended up drawing a blank, knowing that what he thought of was either too revealing or not scary enough.  _ Was he just too nervous to think properly? Why was he even nervous in the first place? _ He bit down on his thumb harder.

Kokichi mentally cursed himself for being so stupid. It’s not like Kaito was going to stop him. Kaito was just a thorn in his side, nothing more. Sure, this wasn’t in his notes, and he hadn’t planned for this at all, but this wasn’t exactly the end of the world either. If he could just calm down, he’d be able to see that nothing was wrong and carefully navigate the situation like he always did. 

But he couldn’t calm down; For some reason, he just couldn’t. His breathing was starting to get uneven. He struggled to keep it under control. Nobody could see him so nervous. Not again. Not after the other night. If he was too vulnerable Kaito would keep coming back, and that was the last thing he wanted right now.  _ What about this scared him so much? Was it Kaito himself? Or was it the fact that he had been banking on Kaito leaving him alone again? _ Kokichi had no clue.

“Hey, Ouma, calm down, it’s nothing bad,” Kaito tried to assure, his voice far too soft for Kokichi’s liking, “Sorry if I startled you, but I really do just wanna chat. I’ve got no ulterior motives, seriously.” He paused. “... Well, I don’t have any this time. I kinda did this morning but not right now, y’know? All I wanna do is just talk and shit.” He shot Kokichi a smile that was supposed to be comforting, but ended up making the smaller boy snap.

“What the fuck?” Kokichi spat, the shaky words tumbling out of his mouth without much thought, “What do you mean ‘chat’? Leave me alone. I don’t want to talk to you. I thought I made that clear.” For once, he wasn’t putting much calculation into what he was saying, but he quickly realized that was a mistake. If he wasn’t careful, he’d let something slip. He held his breath for a second and tried to steel himself. “Why on earth don’t you listen when I tell you to piss off? Are you deaf or some shit?”

Kokichi tried his best to slip into his usual persona despite his nerves. It felt even weirder than it normally did, the demeanor still odd and foriegn to him, even after all these years of pretending it was really how he acted. He forced a cocky smile. It tugged at his lips unnaturally, looking out of place and nothing like grin he had practiced in the mirror the night before. “I’m starting to get super concerned for your health, Momota-chan. I know I’ve joked around about you hitting your head, but did you actually do it? I think you did. You’ve gotta be concussed. That’s the only thing that could cause your sudden change of heart.” He rocked back and forth on his heels as he spoke, trying to hide the way he was trembling by fidgeting even more. “We gotta rush you to the hospital as fast as possible! You should be lying down in a bed surrounded by doctors instead of harassing me in a hallway. Head injuries are serious, you know. I’m worried. Want me to call an ambulance for you?” He cocked his head to the side. It got easier to keep his act up the more he spoke, but it felt like he was moving on autopilot at this point and he still wasn’t doing a very good job of pretending he wasn’t nervous. The tremors in his voice gave everything away.

Kaito cringed as he listened to Kokichi speak. Ever since the other day, he’d been able to see through Kokichi’s act fairly easily. Once he knew it was all fake, it was hard to see any of it as real. Nothing about it was convincing once since he knew the truth. Right now, though, it was even less convincing than usual and that hurt for some reason. There was something painful about seeing Kokichi, somebody who could normally keep a tight grip on how he acted, struggling to maintain his composure. He frowned. “My head’s just fine, but yours clearly isn’t,” He said with a sigh, “I’m worried about you, Ouma. I’ve been worried all day.”

“Don’t worry about me, dumbass, there’s no need to. Nothing about me has changed. I’m not suddenly sad or pitiful or anything like that, so just cut it out already,” Kokichi huffed, gritting his teeth as he spoke, “All I’ve done today is act the way I normally do. There can’t be anything wrong. If there’s a problem, it’s your fault.” He let out a dry chuckle. “Whatever is making you worried has got nothing to do with me and everything to do with you and your stupid concussion. You’re injured, Momota-chan! It’s fucking with your brain! I’ll dial up an ambulance right away!” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pretended to type in a phone number.

“You’re right! Nothing’s changed at all and that’s exactly why I’m worried!” Kaito gestured as he spoke, “You’ve been like this for years, and I should’ve been worried for that long too. I should’ve noticed that you weren’t doing okay. It just…” He sighed again. “It took me awhile to realize how concerning everything was, okay? I’m sorry it took as long as it did. It really shouldn’t have.” He smiled again, that same comforting and assuring smile he had shot Kokichi earlier, and he continued talking. “But I figured everything out now, and I’m ready to be here for you, okay? I’m not gonna let you be alone anymore.”

Kokichi started biting his thumb again, harder than he normally did. The pain served to ground him a bit, but it didn’t stop him from starting to tremble again, completely genuine tears bubbling up in his eyes. Whether they were from anxiety or frustration or something else entirely, he didn’t know, but he blinked them back as soon as they formed, not wanting Kaito to see him cry again. He grumbled something inaudible under his breath and spoke up. “Yeah, I’m sure you care  _ so  _ fucking much,” he said bitterly, crossing his arms, and glaring harshly. “You don’t care about me. You know nothing about me. You’re pretending to be worried about me because you want something from me. That’s it, right? It’s exactly like your sidekicks said.”

“No! It’s not like that at all!” Kaito insisted, sounding absolutely exasperated, “What on earth would I want from you? Why would I pretend to care? This isn’t about homework or manipulation or using you or whatever you’re all paranoid about. I’m not a monster, I’m not a liar, I’m not what you pretend to be. Drop the bullshit and just let me worry, Ouma, please. I thought we were past all this. We hung out and talked and shit. We’re friends now. There’s no need for you to act like-” He gestured to Kokichi. “- _ This _ . I can’t help you if you’re pretending you don’t need help.”

Kokichi’s face scrunched up in disgust and he took a third step back, both of his hands brought to his face now as he chewed on them anxiously. He still felt like he was running on autopilot, not nearly in control as he normally was, words leaving him before he could swallow them down. “How about you drop all your bullshit instead, Momota! Everybody knows you hate me,  _ I _ know you hate me, so you don’t need to go around acting like-” He gestured to Kaito, mimicking the other’s previous action in an overdone, mocking manner, his hands shaking as he did so then quickly returning to his face, “ _ -This. _ ” He took a few shaky breaths, biting on his hands so hard he was afraid he’d draw blood. “We both know you don’t want to help me, so quit fucking pretending that you do. Fuck off. How many times do I have to tell you that? Just leave me alone already!” He was yelling now, unable to calm down or stop himself. “You’re not my friend! You hate me!”

“For fuck’s sake, I don’t hate you!” Kaito yelled back, quickly growing frustrated, “Maybe I did once, but I don’t right now, not anymore. And- And- If we’re not friends, then I  _ want  _ to be your friend, Ouma. I really thought we were friends already, so I’m trying to care about you like a friend does! Or- like- I already do care like a friend does I just-” He struggled to phrase his thoughts in a manner that makes sense, and he shook his hand, shoulders slumping for a moment as he let out an agitated sigh and lowered his face. “... I’m just trying to show it. I’m trying to let you know that I care, so just, like, know it already!” He made a vague but pissed off gesture with his hands. “Please? I’m trying my best. You have to try too. Quit lying and deflecting everything, you’re making it harder for both of us.”

Kokichi scowled at him. “I’m making it harder for a reason! I don’t want to be friends, Momota, I don’t like you. Friendship is a thing that both people have to agree on. I never agreed to be considered your friend, and I’ll never agree to being your friend. You’re a real idiot if you think I will. What made you think we were friends in the first place?

“I don’t know!” Kaito admitted, “I seriously don’t fucking know. I just- I thought- We bonded, you know? We talked, didn’t we? Last night? You opened up to me, and we hung out, and I thought that was enough. I really did. I mean, apparently it wasn’t, but I really thought that hanging out and discussing deep shit was enough to make people friends.”

“We didn’t hang out,” Kokichi corrected, still seething, “And we didn’t talk either. You invited yourself along to my plans and then guilted me into talking about my- my-” He stammered for a moment, trying to think of the right word to use since they were technically still at school. “-my  _ job!  _ That’s not friendship! That’s coercion and force and you being a dick!”

“Well sorry for fucking trying!” Kaito’s hands were balled up into fists, but he relaxed all of the sudden, the tension leaving his body as he tilted his head back and chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets.  _ God, how did Kokichi always manage to get him so worked up? _ He was clearly still frustrated, but he ignored that feeling in favor of trying to let Kokichi know how hard he was trying. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry… even after everything, you still get on my nerves.”

Kokichi blinked, freezing up for a moment and looking at Kaito with an unreadable expression on his face. “You’re sorry…?” He said slowly, then shook his head, “No, you’re not. You can’t be. You’re mad. You’re mad at me. You’re frustrated. Quit lying- Quit-”

An awkward laugh forced its way out of Kokichi’s throat, and he pulled the same cocky grin as before. It still looked awful. He figured that it was time to start acting again, because being genuinely mad was getting him nowhere. “I should get on your nerves, since that’s what I’m trying to do.” He leaned to the side, swaying in a manner that he hoped seemed playful. “It really works, doesn’t it? It always works, Momota-chan. You’re so easy to irritate!” He clasped his hands together and giggled, slowly managing to slip back into his usual persona without it seeming so unstable. He was desperate enough to do it now, regardless of how he felt. He couldn’t have Kaito feeling sorry for him. “This is why we can’t be friends. Not now, not ever. It’s not just ‘cause I don’t want to talk to you, it’s ‘cause you still want to deck me no matter how hard you try, and what kind of friend wants to punch his friend? Hm?”

The act was back to being as convincing and air tight as it usually was, causing Kaito to falter for a moment, but he didn’t relent. He knew Kokichi was just trying to play everything off and deflect it all with lies and twisted words, and he wasn’t going to let him; Kokichi’s unshed tears from earlier had been genuine. They had to have been. Kaito looked at Kokichi with a determined glare, not about to let this go.

“Please,” He said as gently as he could, “Just stop with this act of yours. I’m trying my best, so try a little too, Ouma. I know I’m still easily frustrated and I’m not really used to talking to you like this but…” He trailed off and ran a hand through his hair. “... I want to be your friend. Really, I do.”

“No you don’t!” Kokichi wasn’t relenting either, having already convinced himself that there was no way Kaito could possibly care about him in any genuine capacity. “You’re lying right now just like you were this morning!” His eyes grew watery again, tears forming once more, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold them back this time. The way his lip wavered and his whole body shook made that more than apparent. Since he couldn’t stop them, he decided it’d be safer to play them off as part of his act and overdo the crying, covering the genuine tears up with hyperbole. 

As soon as the first tear trailed down his cheek, Kokichi threw himself onto the hallway floor, wailing and kicking his legs like a toddler having a temper tantrum. If he acted like he was acting, then Kaito might give up and fuck off. He let the tears flow freely now, forcing out even more too, trying to seem over dramatic. “You’re so mean, Momota-chan! This is just cruel! You’re playing with my heart and stealing my lying shtick too… This is full blown identity theft- No, even worse, this is  _ murder! _ You’re  _ killing  _ me! I’m being  _ killed! _ ” He took a deep breath and then shouted at the top of his lungs. “HELP! MOMOTA-CHAN IS  _ MURDERING  _ ME!”

Kaito covered his ears, wincing and squeezing his eyes shut. Watching all this unfold physically hurt him. Not just because Kokichi’s shouting grated against his eardrums like sandpaper, but because seeing Kokichi act like this, seeing him so obviously desperate to push him away yet so miserable about how alone he was, made his heart ache. He knelt down next to Kokichi and frowned even more, looking down at him with an expression so full of sympathy and pity that Kokichi had to look away. “I wasn’t lying,” Kaito said, “I’m not lying. Seriously. I wouldn’t lie about this.”

Kokichi went silent and sat up, still looking away from Kaito as he sniffled quietly, wiping at his eyes in a fruitless attempt to seem composed again. He dug his teeth into the palms of his hands and chewed at them anxiously, unable to come up with words once more. It seemed his ability to slip into his persona wasn’t sticking with him. He couldn’t make himself act like that again. He was too tired. He let out a sigh. “How am I supposed to believe you?” He asked finally, sounding small, “You lie all the time.”

“What? No I don’t-” Kaito swore, in an attempt to defend himself. He was quickly cut off by Kokichi.

“Yes you do. You lie just as much as me,” Kokichi huffed, “Omitting details can be its own kind of lie, and you tell outright ones too. Just because you seem more honest doesn’t mean you are. In fact, your biggest lie is acting like you’re honest. I can’t stand it.” He finally looked at Kaito again, expression unreadable. “On top of that, you lie about all kinds of shit. Your want to be my friend is as real as your hot girl summer and as real as my  _ everything _ .” He scowled again for a moment, crossing his arms. “All of it’s fake. You’re lying. Stop lying to me. It’s  _ mean _ , you’re being  _ mean  _ and like… I  _ hate  _ liars, you know.”

Kaito sputtered uselessly for a solid minute. He couldn’t think of anything to say in his defense. Kokichi was right. He did lie a lot. Far more than he thought he did. He sighed. “Well… I mean, you got me there,” He said, “But, Ouma, here’s the thing: I’m not lying. I want to be your friend. Really, I do. I’ve said it a lot, but I can’t say it enough. I’m not being mean if I mean it, right?” He smiled again. “I won’t force you into anything, but I want you to at least have the option to not be alone. So… how about you just hand me your phone and I’ll put my number in your contacts.” He smiled as he spoke. “That way, you don’t have to deal with me if you don’t want to but… if you want to, you can.”

Kokichi’s eyes widened. He cursed under his breath, not wanting to give Kaito his phone at all. This was a trap. He knew it was. If he handed his phone over, he’d be falling into it willingly, so he definitely didn’t want to give it to Kaito. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from doing so. His body seemed to move on its own. Slowly, he reached his hand into his pocket and pulled it out, holding his phone for Kaito to take despite the fact that every nerve in his body was telling him not to.

\---

Kokichi went back to his dorm that day with a new contact in his phone.

\---

Later that afternoon, Kokichi found himself sitting at his desk, looking down at his notebook and scribbling away in it as the setting sun’s warm rays shone through his blinds and hit his back, filling him with a pleasant warmth that was usually absent from his life. He had finished his homework by now and was simply taking notes like he always did, making plans and replaying the day’s events in his head. He was definitely overthinking everything that had happened, but he couldn’t help it. Overthinking was in his nature. Being as prone to paranoia as he was made it inevitable.

He was calmer now, no longer panicking and spiraling out of control, but that didn’t stop him from looking at his phone every now and then, biting his lip and debating texting Kaito. He decided against it everytime. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to text him, it was just that he’d rather die than admit it because Kaito, as dumb as he could be, was a lot more clever than most people thought. When Kokichi gave Kaito his phone, he knew he was falling into a trap of some sorts, but he was too out of sorts to realize what it was. The second he finally realized what he had fallen into, he debated smashing the device or just tossing it into a lake. 

The trap Kaito had set for him was proof of how smart Kaito could be because, by giving Kokichi his number instead of asking for Kokichi’s, he set up a scenario wherein Kokichi would have to be the person who texted first no matter what and, if he texted first, that would basically be the same thing as admitting he wanted to talk. What a fucking pain in the ass.

Kokichi cursed under his breath and turned his phone on again, looking at Kaito’s contact information instead of his notebook, his finger hovering over the message button. He wanted to talk to Kaito. Really, he did. Despite all of his fear and resistance, he wanted a friend and he wanted to be understood, but the idea of reaching out was far too mortifying to be worth especially since he knew that, if he did manage to send a message, it’d be way harder for him to push Kaito away like he had been doing. And he needed to push Kaito away. If Kaito got too close, everything would be ruined.

He bit his lip. Maybe, just maybe, if he sent a text that made it clear he didn’t want to talk but still had a reason for being sent, he’d be able to open up the doorway for more communication without ever admitting it was open. It had to be something stupid, though, and it had to be in character too.

“Now all I have to do is think of the right thing…” Kokichi muttered to himself, opening up a new conversation and wondering what he should type. “... But what to say, hm?”

\---

_ ‘Hey there Momota-chan! ☆ ～('▽^人) I didn’t plan on texting you becoz I totes hate your guts, but then I remembered that time that I heard that you wet the bed until you were 13 and I just had to ask… is that true? Did you really do that? :) Please reply asap so that I can know whether or not I can make fun of you for it lol. This is Ouma by the way! ＼(￣▽￣)／’ _

\---

Still chewing on his lip nervously, Kokichi found himself staring down at his messaging app, constantly refreshing it to see if Kaito had replied yet despite the fact that he had just sent his message a few seconds ago. Then, suddenly, he heard a series of loud knocks echo through his room. Oh? Who on earth could that be? He stood up and pushed his desk chair in, carefully navigating his way through the piles of trash on his floor and stopping in front of his door, cracking it open just enough to poke his head through. When he did so, he was greeted with none other than Maki Harukawa. He looked up at her with a glare.

“What the hell do you want, you killer bitch?” He spat, expression suddenly sour. His nose wrinkled up in a display of absolute disgust and his brows knitted together. “I thought we had this silent pact to never speak to each other unless other people were involved. In case you forgot, I do have a lot of blackmail on you, so I’d suggest you leave before I start spilling your secrets to the whole cl-”

Maki cut him off suddenly, crossing her arms as she spoke. “Shut up, we don’t have a pact like that, I just ignore you because you’re an asshole. Do you want to die?” She scowled, her expression dark and her tone just on the edge of dangerous. It was definitely harsh and aggressive, but it was also even and firm in such a way that made it seem like she was holding herself back. “Either way, let me in. I need to talk to you.”

Kokichi giggled, closing his door even more so he was left peering at Maki through a small crack in the door. “Aw, you’re making me blush, you seem so angry!” He said, humming and smiling, “But I’m not gonna let you in, Harukawa. I may have a death wish but I’m smart enough to not let a murderer into my dorm. Can’t we talk through the door? Like this?”

“Maybe if you opened it we could,” Maki said, her eye twitching. She clearly wasn’t the best at restraining herself. “But right now I can barely see you, so this isn’t going to work out. Why can’t you just open the door?”

“Because then you’d see my room, and I can’t have that!” Kokichi puffed his cheeks and pouted, “I have all kinds of top secret evil plans and nefarious schemes in here, if you saw them you’d be able to thwart them. If anybody’s gonna thwart my plans, it’s gonna be Momota-chan, you know. Since he hates me the most.” He stuck his tongue out. “I wouldn’t let you be the one to stop me.”

Maki looked like she was about to lose any composure she had at the mention of Kaito, her hands shaking as if she was itching to grab the knife from her pocket. “Actually,” She seethed, tone slowly growing more and more threatening with each word she spoke, “It’s funny that you brought him up, because he’s who I want to talk to you about.”

Kokichi blinked. That’s not what he had expected her to say. He had figured Maki wanted to take some anger out on him and throw him around a little for being such a dick, not talk about Kaito. It made sense though, now that he thought about it. Maki was one of Kaito’s sidekicks so she probably had a bone to pick with him after this morning. He cocked his head to the side a little. “Really? What about him?” He asked, “Did you wanna ask me for advice with you crush on him?” 

“No!” Maki fumed, looking absolutely scandalized by the mere suggestion. “It’s not about anything like that!” She stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what to do with her hands, and eventually settling on angrily fidgeting with her pigtails. “I want to talk about you and how you’ve been manipulating Kaito, not about whatever weird love story you’ve been crafting in your head.”

A smirk slowly formed on Kokichi’s face as the gears turned in his head, an idea slowly forming somewhere in the back of his mind. Maki could be useful, he realized. She was already close with Kaito and, if anybody would be able to push Kaito away from him, it’d be her. Kokichi knew that he wouldn’t have the willpower to keep Kaito away if things kept going the way they were, but Maki could do it for him. He forced out a laugh and stepped into the hallway, shutting his door behind himself. “Really? Manipulation? Now that’s a bit of a stretch, I think,” He chuckled, rocking back and forth on his heels.

Maki grit her teeth. “There’s no other explanation for it. You’re manipulating him, I know you are. Why else would he be thinking about you at lunch? The Kaito I know would never do that,” She said, “He hates you. What did you do to change that?”

The fact that Kaito had been thinking about him at lunch nearly threw Kokichi off guard, but he stayed composed, grinning from ear to ear. “I didn’t do anything! I’m the victim here, you know. Your dear hero has been harassing me nonstop,” Kokichi explained, not quite lying but not quite telling the truth either, “I’ve been trying to keep him away from me but he won’t leave me alone no matter what I do! H-He even cornered me in the hallway today…” Fake tears bubbled up in his eyes. “I was so scared… he’s a lot bigger than me, y’know, and stronger too… who knows what he could've done…” 

“You’re lying,” Maki snapped, causing Kokichi to quit his pathetic and overdramatic sniveling, “Kaito wouldn’t do that either. What do you gain from this, Ouma? Why are you trying to manipulate him, especially now of all times?”

“I’m really not!” Kokichi insisted, stomping his foot, “I hate it when Momota-chan’s around me! He keeps guilting me into talking to him and forcing me to go along with what he wants. Ah, it’s just making me feel so sick, even thinking about it makes me feel like I’m being cornered in the hallway again!” He cowered in fear, covering his head and shaking. “I didn’t want to be there! I-I wanted to be alone!”

Maki cocked her head to the side. Even though she knew Kokichi was faking everything to make her feel bad, it was kind of working. “... Just cut that out,” She sighed, rolling her eyes, “I’m not here to make you talk about what you and Kaito are doing. I want to figure out why you’re using him and make you quit doing it.” She crossed her arms again. “So stop talking to Kaito, okay?”

“If only it were that easy…” Kokichi’s shoulders slumped forward and he frowned, still letting crocodile tears run down his cheeks, “I told you already, I’ve been trying to keep him away, but he won’t stop…” He looked up at Maki all of the sudden, back to being all chipper and giddy. “But maybe you could help me, hm? How about you keep him from talking to me? I can’t do it myself, you know, he’s too persistent...”

“And if I don’t?” Maki asked, knowing there was a catch to all this. There was always a catch with Kokichi. Sure, she was probably going to keep Kaito away from him regardless, but knowing what was going through Kokichi’s head was always a good thing. It made deciding what move to make far easier and far safer too.

“Well… I’d hate to do anything bad...” Kokichi drawled, swaying from side to side, “But, I’m real scared of Momota-chan, so I’m getting kind of desperate! That means I’ll have to do something awful if you can’t keep him away from me and…” He paused, expression going completely blank for a moment as he stared Maki in the eyes. “... Neither of us want something bad to happen to a certain best friend of yours, right?”

Maki’s blood ran cold, but she quickly shook her head and glared at Kokichi once more, not wanting him to see just how much that affected her. “Whatever,” She muttered, turning away “I’ll keep him away from you, just piss off you brat.” 

“How could I piss off, though? You’re the one who came to my room?” Kokichi giggled, waving goodbye to Maki even though she was already starting to walk away. He went back into his dorm and went right over to his desk, picking up his phone and checking to see if Kaito had texted him.

\---

_ ‘WHAT?! Where on earth did you hear that? Who told you that???😬😬’ _

\---

Kokichi couldn’t help but snicker as he read Kaito’s text, knowing full well that the astronaut’s physical reaction to reading it was probably hilarious. He started typing out a reply, but he started to delete it almost immediately, turning his phone back off and setting it face down on the desk. Even though he now had free reign to text the other boy as much as he wanted, since pushing him away wouldn’t be his own responsibility anymore, he still wanted to exercise some amount of self control. If he texted too fast, he’d be letting Kaito get too close. He was walking a thin line here, even if Maki would be unknowingly helping him out with his mission to not get attached. 

He sat down again and went back to taking notes, filling up page after page with hasty scribbles in an attempt to get himself ready for the following days, laying out all kinds of carefully crafted plans with back-ups and back-up back-ups so he wouldn’t fail.

When he was done with all that, Kokichi started to get ready for bed.

\---

_ ‘ヽ(o＾▽＾o)ノ Oh! so it’s true then! You didn’t deny it so it has to be! I’ll make sure to point at you and laugh when I walk into class tomorrow nishishi. I’ll laugh even harder if you don’t do your homework again so you better do that too you dumbass' _

\---

When Kokichi walked into the classroom, his eyes immediately landed on Kaito, who was sitting at his desk and talking to Shuichi, eating an apple as he did so. He grinned and ran up to the taller boy. “Oh, hey, Ouma!” Kaito greeted, starting to wave. He wasn’t able to say anything else, though, because Kokichi was already pointing at him and bursting into a fit of violent laughter.

\---

_ ‘🙃 Okay haha very funny, Ouma. Glad you got a good laugh. Anyway, about yesterday, I was serious when I said I wanted to be your friend. How do I go about doing that? Since apparently hanging out with you isn't enough.’ _

\---

When Kokichi was walking back to the dorms that day, he was able to do so in peace, not being interrupted by Kaito at all. A part of him was disappointed by that, but the rest of him was relieved. Maki was doing her job. Even if it hurt, Kaito was being kept away from him, and that was for the best.

\---

_ ‘Hm... how can we become friends indeed? I guess you just have to hang out with me again and see! (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b Good luck with that tho lol. Meet me @ my dorm on Sunday again, just like last time (⌒ω⌒) assuming you’re able to, at least!’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! :D! told you it wouldn't take as long to update this time UwU!! This chapter is longer than the last one too, as a little treat for everyone. I hope you like it!! C: I worked super hard on and I think I'm proud of it again so no apologies this time ahaha!! pls make sure to kudos or comments if u wanna cause it REALLY makes me super happy hehe x3 Also nishishi (owo)/ we're at 30k words already!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I plan on updating soon ^w^! Oumota is one of my favorite pairings, and I've been planning this fic for awhile. If you like what you've read, please leave a comment and kudos, it gives me a lot of motivation to write \\(owo)-b I know this fic is published anonymously, but I still care a lot about feedback. I'm just a shy coward -///- Anyway, I'm sorry if this was too long for a first chapter, too hard to follow, or has too many grammar errors. I'm proud of it but I don't have a beta reader and things like grammar and brevity are... not my strong suit TmT


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